The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is once again turning to a government partnership model for housing development, this time for Margalla Enclave-II, after the federal cabinet gave its nod to the project.
This decision comes on the heels of CDA’s earlier collaboration with the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) for Margalla Enclave Phase I at Kuri Road.
Cabinet approved CDA proposal
According to official sources, the cabinet approved CDA’s proposal on August 21, allowing the civic body to engage in a joint venture with any government-owned developer for the new phase. Phase II will span 8,300 kanals of land, with 7,800 kanals in Kuri and 500 kanals in Humak, making it another large-scale housing initiative.
In Phase I, CDA and DHA followed a 55-45 formula—CDA contributed the land, while DHA carried out the development work. The arrangement proved commercially viable, as development in Phase I is progressing rapidly, and plots have already been sold successfully.
CDA is now preparing to invite applications from potential state-owned developers to determine its new partner for the second phase.
The approach, however, has sparked questions about CDA’s capacity as an independent development authority. Despite being Pakistan’s premier urban planner for over 65 years, CDA has struggled to deliver housing sectors on its own in recent decades.
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The last fully developed sector was D-12 in 2005. Later projects like Park Enclave (2011) saw only partial progress, while long-delayed sectors such as E-12 (launched in 1989), I-12, and I-15 remain incomplete, though some are finally nearing completion.
Several other sectors remained untouched
Several other acquired sectors—including D-13, E-13, F-13, H-16, C-13, and C-16—remain untouched, apart from limited work in C-16. Critics keep on arguing that rather than repeatedly outsourcing, CDA should leverage its institutional experience to prove its competence in sector development.
“Developing sectors and planning urban growth is the CDA’s core mandate,” one official source remarked. “If it continues relying on joint ventures, it risks losing its credibility as a development authority.”
For now, though, Margalla Enclave-II promises to bring another wave of residential plots to the market, continuing Islamabad’s housing expansion via public-sector collaborations rather than CDA-led development.