Demolition in Bari Imam sparks outrage

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has launched the second phase of an operation to completely clear Noor Pur Shahan Bari Imam, a locality it has declared a 300-year-old "model village," triggering widespread controversy and distress among residents.

In a dramatic pre-dawn action, at approximately 4:30am on Sunday, authorities demolished the ancestral residence and political outhouse of former Islamabad mayor Pir Adil Gilani, despite a stay order issued by the Islamabad High Court.

The property, spread over four kanals and inhabited for generations by his forefathers—grandfather, father and great-grandfather—was reduced to rubble. Valuable household belongings were buried under the debris, as family members and relatives spent Sunday attempting to recover possessions from the wreckage.

This demolition follows the first phase of the operation conducted two weeks earlier, during which 10 neighbourhoods comprising around 13,000 homes were bulldozed. In the second phase, a further 14 localities—including Dori Bagh, Opara Shehar, Kathian, Bona Mohalla, Shamdan, Mohalla Las, Kamalpur, Mandiala, Ratta Hotar and Bonian Khattian—are slated for demolition, affecting approximately 15,320 additional homes.

Residents claim that nearly 95 per cent of those affected will receive no compensation. Despite the presence of three Members of the National Assembly, senators and ministers from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, local political representatives reportedly failed to halt the operation.

The district administration had issued warnings via loudspeakers, stating that any protest against the operation would result in cases under anti-terrorism laws and the arrest of entire families. Subsequently, authorities reportedly used force to suppress protests, initiating mass arrests across the area.

The affected neighbourhoods are densely populated, with many two- and three-storey homes. Residents say approximately 70 per cent of families have lived there for nearly three centuries, describing the land as ancestral property. The area also contains a historic graveyard with graves dating back around 300 years.

According to officials, the entire Noor Pur Shahan Bari Imam area has now been incorporated into a new federal government project. Apart from the shrine of Bari Imam, authorities have been instructed to clear surrounding land entirely and convert it into open spaces, including playgrounds.

Former mayor Pir Adil Gilani condemned the operation, stating:"This is our ancestral land spanning three centuries. Our forefathers are buried here. This is a cruelty against not only me but the entire community."

Residents, including Faisal, Nadir and Haji Saleh, expressed anguish, saying their grandfathers built these homes—how can we simply leave? Women were detained and pressured into vacating. Even with court orders, no one is listening."