CDA plans to raze 30 illegal mosques and seminaries

By Shahzad Raza

ISLAMABAD: The government plans to demolish another 30 illegally constructed mosques and seminaries in the capital.

Government sources told Daily Times that the recent demolition of a seminary in Margallah Town would not be an isolated incident and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had a list of another 30 illegal mosques and seminaries that it planned to tear down in the near future.

These mosques and seminaries have been built on green belts, public land on which private construction is not allowed. Sarwar Sindhu, the enforcement director at the CDA and head of the demolition operation, confirmed that all unauthorised mosques and seminaries would be torn down. “I will take action against another illegally constructed seminary this week,” he said, but would not reveal the name and location of the seminary.

The recently demolished seminary in Margallah Town was encroaching on land belonging to a graveyard, he said. “No one will be allowed to violate CDA by-laws.”

Mr Sindhu said the CDA gets approval from the Interior Ministry before demolishing mosques or seminaries. He said the CDA took precautionary measures in case there was a backlash from religious activists. According to CDA rules, every illegal construction on public land is liable to be demolished. Being sensitive in nature, the demolition of mosques is considered a special case and a separate operation is to be conducted by the enforcement and municipal directorates of the CDA, assisted by the district administration and police.

Daily Times has learnt that there are six mosques on top of the CDA hit list whose demolition has been approved. Two mosques are in sector G-9/2, two on the I-10 green belt, one in the G-10 markaz and one in I-9/2. One of the mosques in G-9/2 is situated on the green belt.

Since the start of the demolition campaign a couple of years ago, CDA teams have razed 13 mosques, two in G-8/2, two in I-10/2 and one mosque each in G-9/2, I-8/3, I-10/3, F-11/1, I-8/1, H-8, F-6/3 and I-10/4.

Before demolition, the administrations of the mosques or seminaries received notices urging them to tear down the illegal structures voluntarily to avoid law and order problems. Most of the mosques to be torn down have two-room seminaries adjacent to them.

Police recently conducted raids on Lal Masjid to arrest Maulana Abdul Aziz and his brother Ghazi Abdul Rashid, who have alleged links with terrorists. Both of them went underground to avoid arrest. Talking to Daily Times several weeks earlier, Mr Rashid threatened protests against the demolition of mosques and seminaries in Islamabad. There are at least 249 authorised mosques in Islamabad, 89 registered with the Auqaf Department and 160 registered with the CDA.

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