ISLAMABAD: Work on another diplomatic enclave soon

Capital Development Authority (CDA) will shortly initiate construction work on another diplomatic enclave in the federal capital to accommodate embassies and foreign missions operating in residential areas.

A senior CDA official Wednesday said that 37 embassies and foreign missions are working in residential areas of the capital city in violation of CDA by-laws and are vulnerable to security threats.

He said a new enclave would be far bigger than the existing one, as the Authority has allocated 870 acres of land for the new enclave while the existing one covers 764 acres.

He said planning of the project has been completed and is in its designing phase while the land allocated for the enclave has been acquired. However, a small village beside the site is yet to be acquired, as it might pose security threats.

The official said that land survey has been started and construction work would be launched once the designing of the project completes. He said the final approval of the project would be made under the revised plan of the federal capital, the final draft of which has already been sent to the government for approval.

The embassies and foreign missions functioning in residential areas include embassies of Algeria, Norway, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Hungary, Denmark, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Philippines, Belgium, Malaysia, Sudan, Oman, Libya, Brazil, Romania, Afghanistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Holland, Korea, Portugal and Portugal (Chancery), British Council, Greece and visa office, Republic of Northern Cyprus, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Finland, Latvia, and UNDP and UNO.

He said there are a total of 56 plots allotted to embassies with 37 lying vacant despite the fact that many embassies have constructed their buildings in the Diplomatic Enclave. “Embassies of Australia, Holland and Korea have constructed their buildings in the Diplomatic Enclave but are still functioning in residential areas”, the official said adding that they would also be shifted to their new locations soon.

Once the work starts, it would take another three years to complete, he said and added that it would have enough space to accommodate all the embassies and foreign missions working in residential areas.
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