Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in Islamabad that the government has regained possession of the One Constitution Avenue building following recommendations from a Joint Investigation Team (JIT). He added that efforts are underway to convert the building into a five-star hotel.
Speaking to the media, Naqvi said the government had been waiting a long time for the JIT report and that its recommendations had now been approved. He said that when the government moved to take back the building, some people gave the impression that a major wrongdoing had taken place.
Plans to convert the building into a hotel
Naqvi said the government would try to convert the building into a five-star hotel within the next few months. He noted that the structure was originally built for that purpose and that Islamabad faces a serious shortage of hotels.
Also read: One Constitution Avenue re-auction announced amid CDA probe
“We will try to reach an agreement with a major hotel chain to convert the building into a hotel,” he said. The minister clarified that the government would not run the hotel itself and would instead sign an agreement with a hotel operator. He said CDA officials would begin managing the building’s affairs from that day, with the aim of making it operational as soon as possible.
Compensation and crackdown on encroachments
Naqvi said the government would compensate people who suffered losses because of the building’s takeover, and that the JIT report set out full details of how payments would be made. He said residents with legitimate apartment ownership would also be compensated, and that no one was receiving a special concession.
The interior minister said the government would act against encroachments in Islamabad, whether on government buildings or green belts. He said the scale of land grabbing in the capital was difficult to imagine, and that the CDA chairman had informed him several residents had extended their lawns beyond their property boundaries. Naqvi urged residents of F-6, F-10 and other sectors to keep their homes within their designated limits.
“If it is government land, we will recover it at all costs,” he said. Naqvi added that around 1,000 acres of land behind the Prime Minister’s House had been recovered and was intended for a safari park. He said there was no room for separate standards for the rich and the poor.
Credit to CDA and remaining parking and staffing gaps
Naqvi credited the CDA chairman and his team for carrying out the operation, saying officials had faced considerable pressure during such actions. He said parking problems had been resolved in several areas of Islamabad, while issues remained in some locations. The CDA chairman, he said, was working to address the remaining problems.
Naqvi also pointed to a shortage of strict officers in the CDA. He said the authority needed more officers who could enforce regulations effectively.
