The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi investors to build what it describes as Pakistan’s first theme park in Islamabad. The announcement, however, did not say where the park will be built, and that gap has revived worries about the future of the capital’s F-9 Park.
Under the MoU with the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Saudi investors will finance the proposed park, while the civic agency will supply the land. The announcement did not name the site, state how much would be invested, or set out a development timeline, so it remains unclear whether the project will be located at F-9 Park or elsewhere in the city.
Concerns over trees in the 400-acre F-9 Park
F-9 Park, also known as Fatima Jinnah Park, drew public attention after social media posts suggested that trees in the 400-acre green space could be cut to make room for a theme park or a high-rise development. Earlier reports had also claimed that the federal government planned to remove trees in the park for the theme park project.
Environmentalist Usman Techer raised the matter in a video shared on Instagram and X. He warned that the park was under threat and said it should not be destroyed in the name of a theme park or high-rise construction.
Interior minister’s assurances and the missing reference
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi responded to the concerns on X, telling residents that not a single tree would be cut and that no new concrete structures would be built in F-9 Park. He said the government instead intended to improve lighting and walkways, develop a lake and coffee shops, and plant thousands of additional trees. The stated aim, he said, was to make the park greener, safer and more accessible to families and visitors.
The latest MoU announcement, however, makes no mention of F-9 Park or of the minister’s assurances. That omission leaves the location of the proposed theme park unresolved.
Naqvi welcomed the agreement and congratulated Prince Mansour bin Mohammed Al Saud. He said Islamabad’s infrastructure was being developed along the lines of modern international cities and described the theme park as a potential game-changer. He added that Saudi investors would be given every possible facility and announced a real estate roadshow in Saudi Arabia in the coming months to attract more investment.
Prince Mansour, chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Business Council, said Pakistan, and Islamabad in particular, offered promising investment opportunities.
Wider plans for a Manhattan-style city in Islamabad
The theme park announcement comes amid broader plans for large-scale urban development in the federal capital. Naqvi had earlier announced plans for a 1,000-acre Manhattan-style city behind the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad. The proposed city would include a central park, a lake, and surrounding residential and commercial complexes, and would operate under a separate regulatory framework.
Speaking at the Saudi-Pak Real Estate Expo in Lahore, Naqvi also said prime plots in Islamabad would be auctioned in December for hotels, shopping malls and residential complexes. Investors would be offered an inventory-sharing arrangement rather than an upfront payment for the land.
Naqvi had also said on October 6 that Islamabad would receive another park roughly the size of Fatima Jinnah Park, commonly known as F-9 Park, as part of efforts to make the capital greener. He said the Manhattan-style city would follow a different set of laws, rules and standard operating procedures, but did not give details of that regulatory framework.
Until the government formally identifies the site of the theme park, questions about its possible impact on Islamabad’s green spaces, particularly F-9 Park, are likely to remain.
