CDA takes over 5 commercial plazas on Murree Road in Islamabad's Malpur in drive to recover 108 kanals of state land

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Islamabad Capital Territory administration took control of five commercial plazas in Mouza Malpur on Murree Road on Friday evening, 23 October, as part of a drive to recover 108 kanals of government land that officials say has been occupied for about two decades, ProPakistani reported.

The CDA Enforcement Directorate and Islamabad Police carried out the operation after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the chief commissioner and CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf to apply anti-encroachment laws to everyone alike.

What is on the land

A survey of the disputed 108 kanals found:

Five of the nine plazas have now been taken over. The authorities have not named them.

Why the CDA says the claims fail

• A revenue review found suspected discrepancies in ownership papers. Officials say some claimants used records for different khasra numbers in the neighbouring Mouza Kot Hathial to claim property in Malpur.
• A document verification camp found sale deeds that described land about 1.5 km away from the buildings actually occupied.
• One plaza was reportedly sold for Rs 5 crore five months before the operation.

The authorities say they are preparing legal action, including FIRs over land transactions they suspect were fraudulent. No court has ruled on those claims.

CDA Deputy Director General Enforcement Dr Anum Fatima said the authority would act against all unlawful occupants and would challenge court stay orders through legal channels while respecting the courts' directions. The CDA and the ICT administration said the campaign would continue on the basis of verified revenue records.

Buying property in Islamabad? Check these first

1. Match the khasra number in the sale deed with the mouza named in it, and confirm both with the revenue record (fard) from the ICT land record office.
2. Visit the plot with the record in hand: the Malpur deeds pointed to land 1.5 km away from what was sold.
3. Ask whether the land is state or CDA land and whether any stay order or case is pending on it.
4. Pay through a bank so there is a record, and get the transfer registered.

Work out what a transfer will cost you with our stamp duty calculator and property tax calculator.