The front lawn of Imran Khan’s Bani Gala mansion | Mohammad Ali/White Star
It is apparent from these recent changes in the zoning regulations for Zone 4 that the spirit of the National Park Area, as imagined by Doxiadis, has been severely compromised. The apparent ‘violations’ are now supported by legal regulations instituted by concerned authorities.
Based on legal decisions and changes in zoning regulations, residential and commercial constructions in Zone 4 are now legally possible. In this legal context, does it make sense for the CDA or other actors to insist on declaring Bani Gala illegal or blame its residents for violating the zoning regulations? What is confusing is the CDA’s assertion that new constructions in Zones 3 and 4 are illegal, as seen in its recent report submitted to the Supreme Court that declared Imran Khan’s residence illegal. For some reason, the CDA is perpetuating the myth that residential constructions in Zones 3 and 4 are prohibited when that is not the case, as selective building activity in Zone 3 and more active constructions in Zone 4 are legally underway now.
Returning to Khan’s recent appeal to the CJP, we may consider it to be illustrative of his frustration with the unhindered “encroachment” of the middle class on the once exclusive neighbourhood of Bani Gala. After the court decisions in late 1990s, Bani Gala attracted many more elite homebuilders to its scenic locations even as it opened its less desirable areas to a large number of middle-class people looking for affordable housing in Islamabad.
The arrival of a large number of the middle class naturally added more stress to this “unplanned and unregulated” area and drastically changed the density and demographics of this once exclusive neighbourhood. Whereas Imran Khan bought acres of land on top of a hill, and Dr Qadeer Khan along the banks of Rawal Lake, the middle-class is now buying marlas along narrow streets with no proper sewerage or renting apartments in jerry-built plazas. While Khan’s own house is located within a gated enclosure accessible through a private driveway, the only two approaches to this sanctuary are full of potholes and offer unsightly views of sewerage seepage and garbage strewn about as a result of the increased haphazard construction in the area.
This points to another dimension of the Bani Gala urban phenomenon: the aesthetic of encroachment. Aesthetics or appearances play an important role in how encroachments are perceived, especially when it comes to differentiating between high- and low-end encroachments. For instance, while slums and squatter settlements fit public perceptions of unplanned encroachments, exclusive gated communities or mansions built illegally on urban peripheries in many cities in Pakistan can make claims of legitimacy on the basis of their planned appearances.
For the Bani Gala elites, the aesthetic of encroachment has put them in a conundrum. The decision to live in an undeveloped region in Islamabad was made years ago by the elite homebuilders of Bani Gala when they chose to invest in the undeveloped region as opposed to one of the CDA developed sectors. The same decision was based on their desire to be a part of an “unregulated” Bani Gala, which offered them freedom and flexibility from the Doxiadis master plan and the CDA’s interference, and allowed them to design elaborate mansions, which did not conform to the strict building codes and regulations set by the CDA, on expansive sites with stunning views.
The problem for the elite of Bani Gala now is that while they may have the ability to encroach beautifully on top of hills and along lakes, their less-privileged neighbours mostly encroach in an unassuming manner. This may be the reason that prompted Imran Khan to complain to the CJP about the municipal ineffectiveness of the CDA, the same authority that was not formally consulted in the approval process of his own residence built in a protected ecological region in Islamabad.
If we set the aesthetics of “unregulated” urban development aside, how different are the elite mansions and the less-privileged housing in Bani Gala in disturbing the microenvironment of this area? Can we prioritize some forms of “unregulated” developments over others based on aesthetics alone?
Given the complicated legal history of this neighbourhood and changes in official zoning regulations of Islamabad over the years, imposing formal order on an informally developed neighbourhood like Bani Gala presents tremendous challenges. It also fails to acknowledge the now accepted truism in architectural and planning circles that planned cities conceived on paper are rarely, if ever, implemented according to their official master plans.
The insistence on such is simply foolish and can only result in unproductive debates. In order to truly save this neighbourhood (and other parts of Islamabad) from further environmental degradation and encroachment, a critical and honest assessment of the past policies of CDA officials, changes to Islamabad’s zoning regulations, and building practices of Bani Gala residents is needed. Using this neighbourhood for political objectives, such as, criticising corrupt elite or inefficient government authorities, will only reproduce the same misguided and futile narratives about Bani Gala as routinely covered in the media. Change will come through developing a culture of accountability that is not only targeted at the actions of others but also motivated by an evaluation of one’s own.
The writer teaches architectural and urban history at Hamilton College, NY. She can be reached over email: faiza.moatasim@yahoo.com
Published in Dawn, EOS, July 30th, 2017