Capital Development Authority razes nearly 200 Noorpur Shahan houses during massive operation in Islamabad

• Police book 350 individuals under Anti-Terrorism Act, other charges over Tuesday’s violent clash
• FIR alleges use of petrol bombs, firearms
• Residents dispute CDA’s claim, civic body defends action

ISLAMABAD: After the police registered a case against residents of Noorpur Shahan under multiple charges, including provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, in connection with Tuesday’s violent clash, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) as part of its anti-encroachment drive on Wednesday, demolished nearly 200 houses under heavy police deployment.

The CDA team, which had to suspend the operation on Tuesday after facing strong resistance from residents, carried out the large-scale demolition with the help of heavy machinery on the second day without any opposition, according to some officials.

The Secretariat Police registered the case against some 350 nominated and unidentified people under various sections, including the Anti-Terrorism Act, dacoity, attempted murder, assault on public servants rioting and the use of deadly weapon.

According to the contents of the FIR, the villagers allegedly attacked the CDA staff and police personnel using petrol bombs and firearms. It stated that around 200 to 250 armed individuals emerged from adjacent streets when the CDA began demolishing unoccupied structures.

The mob allegedly resorted to indiscriminate firing with intent to kill and hurled petrol bombs, setting two CDA vehicles on fire.

Police said the mob ignored warnings to disperse and snatched a wireless set from a police official. Later, another group of around 150 armed individuals reportedly joined from Bari Imam Chowk and attacked the police.

The police personnel responded with tear gas to disperse the crowd. However, protesters allegedly attacked from multiple directions and snatched anti-riot kits from 11 police personnel. Eight policemen were injured during the clash, including four having firearm wounds.

The FIR claims that some of the protesters were armed with petrol bombs, SMGs, 12-bore rifles, 30-bore pistols and iron rods.

The residents, on the other hand, presented a different account.

Talking to Dawn, they said the CDA deployed nearly 10 excavators on Wednesday and demolished the entire Noori Bagh Mohallah, comprising over 200 houses. They alleged that the CDA staff threw belongings of some of the families outside the houses before demolishing them.

The villagers claimed that the Islamabad High Court through a ruling on a petition filed by Tanvir Husain, had directed the CDA to rehabilitate the affected families through a model village scheme. They said over 17,000 kanals of land in Noorpur Shahan area near Bari Imam had been acquired between 1961 and 1967 under the CDA Ordinance 1960, and claimed that the authority had failed to fulfill its commitments to rehabilitate them.

According to them, the CDA had approved a proposal of seven model villages, including Noorpur Shahan, submitted by the Regional Planning Directorate in May 1990. They alleged that the CDA had been delaying the implementation of the Model Village Scheme due to the bar of Islamabad Zoning Regulations 1992.

When contacted, a senior CDA official, requesting anonymity, rejected the villagers’ assertions, claiming that the Authority had acquired the land in 1960 after following all the legal procedure and giving benefits to the residents.

According to the official’s claim, Noorpur Shahan is not a village, and falls under Sector F-4 in the master plan of Islamabad.

The official further claimed that the CDA had appeared before all the relevant courts in the case which had given decisions in the Authority’s favour.

The official further said that no agreement with the residents of the Noorpur Shahan existed and most of the residents had already vacated the houses and removed their belongings before the operation. The official alleged that “miscreants” attacked the CDA staff during the process and set vehicles on fire after police temporarily withdrew.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2026