# Islamabad high-rise plots at no upfront cost, a 1,000-acre 'Manhattan' and a 450-acre safari park: Naqvi's plan

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/property/islamabad-high-rise-plots-at-no-upfront-cost-a-1000-acre-manhattan-and-a-450)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 24 Oct 2026
Updated: 24 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 25 Oct 2026

> Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi says one, three and six-acre plots will be auctioned for 600-foot towers, paid for with a share of the flats and shops. Here is how the scheme would work.

Islamabad is to auction large plots for high-rise hotels, malls and apartment towers with **no upfront payment**, and build a **1,000-acre "Manhattan-style" district** and a **450-acre safari park**, Interior Minister **Mohsin Naqvi** said on Friday 23 October at the Saudi-Pak Real Estate Expo in Lahore, The Express Tribune reported. The announcement was among the most searched Islamabad stories in Pakistan on Friday.

## How the plot auction would work

- **Plot sizes:** one, three and six acres.
- **Price:** no cash up front. Instead the government takes a share of the finished inventory (flats, offices, shops). Bidding starts at **15% of inventory** and developers can offer more.
- **Height:** buildings must be at least **600 feet**.
- **Deadline:** the project must be finished within **two years** of approval. "We have only two demands," Naqvi said, the other being that the land is free of cost.
- **Approval:** three to four weeks through a one-window desk at the Ministry of Interior.
- **Auction committee:** five members from NAB, SIFC, FIA and CDA, headed by a judge (whether serving or retired is not decided).

No auction date, plot locations or sector numbers were given.

## The 'Manhattan' district

The new district would sit on **1,000 acres behind the Prime Minister's House**, with residential and commercial blocks around a central park and a lake, and its own rules and SOPs, Naqvi said. He did not give a cost or a start date.

## Asia's 'largest safari park'

Naqvi described a 450-acre safari park in Islamabad as Asia's largest. As a comparison, he said a Punjab park rebuilt within six months saw its annual auction value rise from Rs 20 million to Rs 680 million in a year, even with half the planned animals.

## What it means for buyers in Islamabad

Naqvi said the government has taken steps against high property prices in the capital and expects Saudi investors to take part. For a buyer, the effect depends on how fast towers rise: two-year completion on a 600-foot building is very ambitious by Pakistani standards. Before you pay anyone for a unit "in the new Islamabad towers", check that the developer actually won a plot from the auction committee and that CDA has approved the building plan.

Work out what a flat would earn you with the [rental yield calculator](/tools/property/rental-yield-calculator), what you would pay to register it with the [stamp duty calculator](/tools/property/stamp-duty-calculator), and what a mortgage would cost with the [home loan calculator](/tools/finance/home-loan-calculator). Our [property desk](/news/property) will follow the auction.

## Frequently asked questions

**How much do the Islamabad high-rise plots cost?**

Nothing up front, according to Mohsin Naqvi on 23 October 2026. Developers bid a share of the finished inventory, starting at 15%.

**Where will Islamabad's Manhattan-style city be?**

On 1,000 acres behind the Prime Minister's House, Naqvi said. No start date or cost has been announced.

## Sources

- Islamabad to get 'Manhattan-style' city, Asia's 'largest safari park': Naqvi (The Express Tribune): https://tribune.com.pk/story/2636497/naqvi-announces-plans-for-high-rises-manhattan-style-city-and-safari-park-in-islamabad

How to cite: "Islamabad high-rise plots at no upfront cost, a 1,000-acre 'Manhattan' and a 450-acre safari park: Naqvi's plan", Searchable, 24 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/property/islamabad-high-rise-plots-at-no-upfront-cost-a-1000-acre-manhattan-and-a-450