The federal government’s plan to develop a new park at the foothills of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad has triggered scathing criticism and anger from large swathes of the society. 

Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting on Tuesday at the CDA Headquarters where it was confirmed that a park spanning 1,000 kanals would be developed near the Margalla Hills.  

Media reports have claimed that the park would likely be constructed near the D-12 area, where CDA already holds a large piece of land. A proposed cricket stadium and an Olympic Village spanning 175 acres are also planned for the same zone.

The meeting further decided that five-star hotels would be constructed in the area under joint ventures with internationally reputed firms, with Naqvi directing officials to formulate a zero-tax hotel policy to attract investors. 


However, the proposed hotel construction runs into a legal wall, as the area falls under Zone III, where existing CDA regulations bar even private landowners from building on their own inherited land. Any commercial construction would require amendments to zoning regulations and approval from the federal cabinet.

It is worth noting that a press release initially stated the park would spread over 1,000 acres, larger than Fatima Jinnah Park, Islamabad’s largest at 650 acres, though a CDA official later told a private media outlet it was a typo, with the actual figure being 1,000 kanals.


The announcement did not go down well.

“Leave the Margallas alone, will you?” one resident wrote, a sentiment that ran through nearly all of the online response.

Others were more pointed. “Strip away the greenery and hills. What even is Islamabad?” one person asked, while another wrote, “The ruling governments ruined Islamabad by making ghost towns, allowing commercial towers on Margalla Road and now this. We don’t need any more hotels at the expense of Islamabad’s beauty and environment”.


Several voices questioned the need for the project entirely. “Did we ask for it? No. There’s already Japanese Park and plenty of spots there. No need to cut down more hills. But these illiterates are still decades backward and call destruction of the ecosystem developmental projects. I request everyone, please don’t let this happen,” one person urged.

The criticism extended to the government’s track record on environmental promises. “The way they’re going ahead with this shows that they lied about cutting pollen trees. They never cared,” one commenter observed. 

Author and academic Dr Osama Siddique also weighed in. “More destruction of natural habitat, tree cover, environment and ecology on the way. If the citizenry doesn’t protest and object, the ruining of Islamabad will be complete,” he wrote.

Journalist Gharidah Farooqi was among the most vocal critics. “Why is Islamabad being turned into a grey jungle of concrete, underpasses, and checkpoints? Why are the city’s beauty, its greenery, and the Margalla Hills being destroyed?” she asked. She pointed out that every government delivers speeches on climate change while cities are being ruined right under their noses. 

Senator Sherry Rehman called on authorities to review the plans, pointing out that the Margalla green area is a protected zone.

 “There is plenty of room for new hotels. Islamabad is already under construction and tree-cutting pressure,” she wrote, also flagging what she described as brutal evictions in Bari Imam and urging compassion and compensation for vulnerable populations in the area.

One commenter brought up the city’s original master plan. “CDA should strictly enforce Islamabad’s master plan prepared in 1960 by Doxiadis Associates. If we continue with such mega concrete structures, soon F9 Park will also be encroached upon by high-rise buildings,” they wrote.


Many netizens took direct aim at the interior minister. “After enjoying unprecedented success with the PCB, Mohsin Naqvi is going to war against Islamabad’s tree and greenery infestation. RIP,” one person wrote. Another added, “Send these Lahoris back to their city. We aren’t getting impressed by these useless flyovers, underpasses and endless roads”. 

“It’s infuriating to see Islamabad being destroyed by its own administration. These constructions are being made on green belts and forests just for money. We need to protest now before the city turns into a concrete desert,” another resident wrote.

“Islamabad is among the world’s most beautiful capitals. The beauty of the capital shouldn’t be ruined because of personal aspirations. Let’s hope sanity prevails,” one comment read.

The Margalla Hills are a protected national park, home to numerous species of flora and animals, among them the endangered iconic leopard, multiple species of snakes, monkeys, wild boar, pheasants and deer.