Naqvi says land-grabbing mafia, illegal constructions to be completely eradicated from Islamabad

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday vowed that illegal constructions would be “completely eradicated” from Islamabad. He made the remarks during a special meeting he and Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry were chairing, the interior ministry said on the social media platform X. “Land-grabbing mafia and illegal constructions will be completely eradicated from Islamabad,” the ministry quoted Naqvi as saying. He vowed, “Operation Clean-up would continue without any pressure until it achieves its final result.” For the past two months, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has been conducting anti-encroachment operations in Islamabad, with a special focus on katchi abadis (informal settlements), whose residents have strongly protested the actions. According to CDA’s rules, 34 societies/schemes were supposed to transfer amenity land in the name of the civic agency for further utilisation. However, despite the passage of years, CDA has failed to get the land. There are reports that many societies have already eaten up the land after carving out plots. After removing the Muslim Colony in the Bari Imam area, CDA also conducted an operation against Rimsha Colony at H-9 and Shapar Colony of G-7, where residents had staged a protest in March against the move. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), along with several civil society organisations, had called on authorities to halt all planned and ongoing eviction operations in Islamabad’s low-income areas and katchi abadis. In October 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted a joint inquiry committee to thoroughly probe alleged land-grabbing by the “land mafia” in the federal capital and to fix responsibility on those involved in it. Sewage treatment plants, Convention Centre discussed Meanwhile, the meeting held on Wednesday also reviewed the progress of several ongoing and planned projects in the federal capital, including the construction of 11 new police stations. It was decided durin