Islamabad authorities deny Edhi’s claim of sealing office in Aabpara

ISLAMABAD: The district administration on Saturday denied that it had sealed Edhi’s office in Aabpara “at any point” after the rescue service said its control room had been sealed.

At the same time, in a statement, the Islamabad administration said the control room had been built on land owned by the Capital Development Authority (CDA). The administration asserted that while eviction notices had been served, no action had been taken yet to enforce them.

The responses came after a statement was issued by Edhi’s Zonal office in Islamabad, which stated that its “Edhi Centre (ambulance control room) established in Aabpara for the past 40 years has been shut down by the administration”.

As a result, Edhi said it was unable to continue its emergency services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, which would “remain suspended till the administration provides us with an alternative place”.

In its statement, the Edhi service insisted that the district commissioner’s office did not give any reason for the closure, nor did it receive any notice. It further contended that the rescue service had paid the rent for the property in advance, including for the next 11 months. It appealed to the “relevant authorities” to immediately take notice of the situation.

In response, Islamabad District Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon posted on X that the district administration “has taken notice of false reports circulating on social media regarding the sealing of Aabpara Edhi office”.

“These claims are completely baseless and misleading. No Edhi office has been sealed at any point,” he asserted.

However, he added, “The temporary closure of certain areas, including shops and offices, was part of routine security measures implemented during the jaloos (processions) to maintain law and order.”

He did not specify which procession he was referring to. He urged the public “not to fall for misinformation and to verify facts through official government channels”, warning that spreading “false information” could result in legal action.

A separate statement issued by the district administration on the issue pointed out that “only a control room” of the Edhi service was present at Aabpara.

“The control room had been built on land owned by the CDA. A 10-year agreement had been made with Edhi in 2000,” it stated.

The authorities asserted that the Edhi management had been served “multiple notices” for vacating the premises after the agreement expired in 2000.

According to the district administration, Edhi Centre had been offered an alternative place in H-8 by the government, and the Edhi management had sought two months’ time before Ramazan began.

“An assurance was given of shifting the control room to H-8 after Eid,” the administration spokesperson said.

“No action has been taken by the administration so far to vacate the premises,” the statement asserted, adding that it received the reports of the control room’s closure through the media.