Shafaqna Pakistan: On Tuesday, protesters reportedly torched two government vehicles during an anti-encroachment drive carried out by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad.
The operation, conducted in the Noor Pur Shahan area near Bari Imam, triggered clashes between CDA officials and local residents. The situation escalated when opposition to the demolition campaign intensified, with demonstrators setting two CDA vehicles on fire, causing damage to public property.
According to eyewitness accounts, stone-pelting was also reported during the unrest, while law enforcement personnel responded by firing tear gas to disperse the crowd. Reinforcement police units were subsequently deployed as the situation deteriorated.
CDA spokesperson Shahid Kayani stated that the operation targeted illegal constructions and was being carried out after the withdrawal of a court-issued stay order, which had previously restricted the authority’s action in the area.
He said the operation is being carried out in accordance with the law. “During the operation, the CDA faced resistance from occupants,” the spokesperson added.
The Islamabad High Court last week suspended the earlier directions issued by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, who had ordered the establishment and protection of model villages and barred the CDA from taking coercive action against residents.
Following the suspension, the civic authority has now been permitted to continue operations, including in areas that were previously protected under those judicial orders.
In December 2025, leaders of the Awami Workers Party, All-Pakistan Katchi Abadi Alliance, and Anjuman Rehribaan appealed to the SC and newly created Federal Constitutional Court to uphold the stay order given by the SC in 2015 in response to a constitutional petition filed by the AWP that put a moratorium on summary evictions.
Source: Express Tribune
