Let me start this post with a question: is any encroachment of land – even for security measures – justifiable? I think not, because it is still an encroachment to the best of my understanding. But in the current scenario, some laws may need to be sacrificed in the face of security concerns.
That said, what woe that the Diplomatic Enclave in Islamabad is an area where encroachment abounds. Various swaths of land have been taken over by foreign offices and embassies in order to safeguard them from terrorist attacks. According to a news source, 19 embassies in the Diplomatic Enclave have erected security structures beyond their permissible limits.
A foreign office official – who requested not to be named – told reporters that the encroachment issue had been conveyed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Though the illegally occupied areas are being used as parking lots and visitor seating areas, this does not justify the act of encroaching on the land at all. Moreover, a few embassies have set up security barriers outside their property. The embassies of the United States, France, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey and Malaysia and the High Commissions of Canada, Nigeria, Australia, Myanmar, and India are all in the roster of offenders. The World Food Programme office has also occupied a plot meant for the construction of a shopping centre and the parking area of a community centre.
After receiving requests from various foreign missions a few years ago, the Capital Development Authority had allowed them to establish security walls along the boundaries of their premises. But various missions trespassed the approval and encroached on the surrounding land beyond permissible limits.
According to CDA spokesman Mr Asim Khichi, the civic authority was not able to take direct action against the foreign missions due to diplomatic rules. However, he told reporters that the issue would be conveyed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that the required action could be taken on the issue in question.
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