Pakistan

Saidpur Village: fusing the old and the new

Shabbir Hussain May 10, 2010

ISLAMABAD: In order to preserve the history, culture and natural beauty of an ancient village that dates back to 300 years, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) developed Saidpur into a model village.

The main aim of the project was to conserve the culture of the village, located in the suburbs of Islamabad, as well as turn it into a tourists spot. What captures ones’ eyes in Saidpur village, apart from the many restaurants, is the sight of three buildings standing closely together: a mandir, a church and a gurdwara.

The entrance to the village is through two gates made out of wood and mud– a clear attempt to strike a balance between the old and the new. “I love how the CDA has preserved the village and still brought a modern touch to it. My friends and I love to come here and have ice-cream, especially when the weather is nice,” Samar, a student, told The Express Tribune. CDA has also set up a pictures’ gallery inside the church, with pictures of the village’s and Islamabad’s history.

The building has been preserved and dim lights have been installed inside to make the pictures visible. “We want more places like this in the capital city. The villagers have been given a way to earn a livelihood and tourists have been given an opportunity to experience village life,” Ramzan Sajjid, CDA spokesperson, said.

“It’s just nice to see that there is a place, given the current political climate, where three very different religious buildings stand peacefully, next to each other,” Ahmad Raza, a businessman said. Some of the residents have been living in the village for the last 40 years. “I remember (the time when former) prime minister Benazir Bhutto visited our village with her mother and met all the villagers,” Lal Din, a clay potter, told The Express Tribune.

Published in the Express Tribune, May 11th, 2010.

COMMENTS (5)

mansoor | 14 years ago | Reply first of all i tell u every one.village is aqured by cda in 1967.all villagers got payments and plot against their lands.so they are all illagle to use the cda land.and more over is located in lap of margalah hills.it is national park,so nobody have to right to live in this village.even cda have not right to constrct any bulding in national park.

Nadir El Edroos | 14 years ago | Reply I have spoken to many villagers who have argued that with the development in the area land prices have sky rocketed, and developers have effectively priced them out of the market. They argued that previously, as the size of their families grew they would then develop adjacent plots of land to accomodate their growing family. That is no longer possible. When I asked why do they not complain when the media comes to the village they said that they put on a brave face, because if they complain the local restaurants etc would then hire people from outside the area. Effectively, the way the area was developed, offered little incentive for the local community to take ownership of the development. Any sort of resentment would mean that they would be unemployed and marginalized in their own community. And neither do they appreciate the stacks of condoms and empty bottles of alcahol that litter the shrubs around the area. Obviously, a village near an urban area is going to loose its rural infrastructure. When I spoke of the allocation of funds, I was pointing at how certain parts of the sums spent on developing saidpur could have been used in the other rural areas as part of the ICT. They are innumerable villages within Zone IV for example which yet have no access to basic facilities. My argument here is that Saidpur is hardly an example of a "model village". The interests of the urban elites were held paramount before the interests of the local community. The heavy traffic into and out of the village at the wee hours have changed the lifestyle of the local community. Once the restaurants are closed all the waste is dumped around the area. The villagers are more part of the attraction than inhabitants.

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Sachal | 14 years ago | Reply Disclaimer: This is not my story and I agree that it could have been done better. I'm just arguing the case specifically.

Sachal | 14 years ago | Reply Talk to the villagers. Most of them are quite happy. They have employment and the village floor has been re-done. What you are talking about basically is the Urban vs Rural debate. What you speak of as an alternative use of funds, is basically changing the village into an Urban area. And to be honest, it is no longer really a rural area, nor could it have remained so. You cannot expect a sector of Islamabad to just remain a village. As for the local people 'becoming' servants. Even before the restaurants, the majority of their men used to drive taxis (some still do) and their women were maids. If Islamabad was never built, they could perhaps have continued to be an agrarian society. But then again, that's true of any city.

Nadir El Edroos | 14 years ago | Reply The glossy image painted hear of Saidpur Village dosnt do justice to the residents and of the wider rural area that comprises the ICT. While the renovation of historical buildings is commendable, the massive amounts of money spent on landscaping and making the area hospitable to yuppie urbanites, has lead to the massive commercialisation of the village. Its ironic that a number of expensive restaurants have opened up in the village, which hardly any member of the village could afford to eat in themselves. Villagers have become second class citizens within their own community, running around, offering services to foreigners and Islamabad elites so that they can enjoy a taste of Pakistani rural life. I remember when the renovation and "development" of Saidpur village first began, it was claimed that it would offer an insight to foreigners of Pakistan beyond Islamabad and typical rural life. Typical rural life? Yes, every Pakistani village has posh restaurants and ice cream parlours, and climbing walls! The amount of money the CDA has spent to develop the village adds up into the hundreds of millions. With those sums, several villages could have had their basic health units upgraded, schools constructed, water courses lined etc. We do suffer from misplaced priorities, and I at least do not see what there is to be proud off. On the one hand we have turned a village into an amusement park where the local community are part of the attractions and servants to the rich. In F-9, a members only club is being constructed with taxpayers money, including dolphin themed rooms and cigar rooms!

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