Not going home: Army seeks to retain control of parade ground

Cite security concerns; area remains closed for public.

ISLAMABAD:

The new multipurpose exhibition ground, which hosted the March 23 parade, is still under army control, despite the passage of over two weeks since the event.

While expressing its desire to retain control of the ground near Shakarparian, the army has sought “verbal permission” from city managers to install gates at entry and exit points to secure the area.

A senior CDA official privy to the development said, “The army intends to keep its control of the area, keeping in view the law and order situation in the city.” The official also claimed that the ground would be used to house the 111 Brigade, which is currently stationed in Rawalpindi.

The public ground is already being treated like a restricted area, with members of the public barred from approaching it. To top it off, even staffers from the CDA – which owns the facility and has spent Rs633.87 million to develop it, have been denied access.

“So far, there has been no formal request from the army, but, the installation of gates has been verbally discussed with an army officer in recent days,” confirmed CDA Engineering Member Shahid Sohail.

He, however, vehemently rejected the impression that the CDA had approved any such measure, either verbally or in writing. When asked about delay in handing over possession of the site, Sohail said, “Moving troops from one place to another is a lengthy process.”

To a question, Sohail said, they (army) had discussed the option of installing gates at the site, adding that the CDA could not grant any such permission.

Give an inch, win a yard, lose acres

A CDA board member recalled that in 2007, when the law and order situation was worsening in Islamabad, Rangers were called in to assist the capital police. Rangers were stationed in Pir Sohawa and Saidpur Village.

Soon, Rangers were given permission to set up temporary housing, specifically tents, on a five-acre area.

Today, according to CDA records, Rangers have encroached more than 22 acres and have walled off the area to build fortified concrete structures including barracks and official residences in the area, which is also a no-go-zone for civilians.

Facility developed in violation of master plan

According to the Islamabad Master Plan, the city was supposed to have a dedicated exhibition area near Tarlai Kalan village on Lehtarar Road. But in 1975, an amendment to the original Islamabad Master Plan shifted the site to its current location — south of Shakarparian Park near Faizabad on Islamabad Highway.

The area was marked for hosting trade exhibitions and other public activities.

In 2007, work on the project was initiated during the Pervaiz Musharraf military regime and thousands of trees were felled in the one square-kilometre area to develop the facility. Construction work on the project was awarded to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) on single-tender basis. The PC-I amount of the project was Rs458.02 million, as approved by the CDWP on November 26, 2007.

In May 2008 the project was shelved, after work worth Rs 385 million had been completed.

In 2015, after a decision was taken to hold the Pakistan Day parade, work on the project resumed on emergency footing. The revised cost for remaining work came out to Rs248.87 million, which was approved by the CDA board in a hurriedly-called meeting at the authority’s headquarters on January 21, 2015.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2015.