CDA halts G-6 eviction operation after occupants begin vacating flats

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Thursday temporarily suspended its operation against illegal occupants of government flats in Islamabad’s G-6 Sector after several residents began vacating the flats voluntarily following an initial eviction drive.

According to CDA sources, many occupants started handing over possession of the flats on their own after authorities arrived for the evacuation, prompting the civic body to defer the enforcement action.

Earlier in the day, the CDA had mobilised police, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), CDA enforcement personnel, and district magistrates to assist in the planned eviction of illegal occupants from 200 government flats near Aabpara Market.

The CDA had issued a final notice to residents, citing a series of court rulings, including an Islamabad High Court judgment issued in February 2023, a Supreme Court order in June 2023, and a subsequent apex court review order dated July 30, 2025.

“All illegal occupants residing in CDA flats located at Aabpara Sector G-6 Islamabad have no legal grounds to retain the CDA property under their illegal occupation,” the civic body stated in the notice, adding that residents had failed to comply with an earlier seven-day voluntary eviction deadline.

The operation initially faced resistance, with some occupants presenting ownership documents and allotment letters. However, CDA officials maintained that the evictions were being carried out in strict compliance with court directives.

The 200 residential flats were completed in 2003 under a federal cabinet-approved urban redevelopment plan aimed at replacing aging government housing. Before they could be formally allotted to federal employees, the apartments were used to accommodate families displaced by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.

Following the 2007 military operation at the nearby Lal Masjid, police personnel moved into many of the vacant flats and remained there. A recent joint survey by the CDA and the federal Estate Office found that while some units were occupied by private individuals and CDA employees, most had remained under the unauthorized occupation of police personnel for more than 15 years.

The G-6 housing complex, once envisioned as a model public housing project, has since deteriorated because of poor maintenance and failing civic infrastructure.

CDA sources said the civic body would soon resume the eviction operation against occupants who fail to hand over the keys, adding that all illegally occupied units would eventually be recovered and handed over to the Ministry of Housing for lawful allotment to eligible federal employees.