World War I memorial demolished during Islamabad housing project construction

ISLAMABAD: A memorial built to honour soldiers from the region who fought in World War I has been demolished during construction work on a new housing project in Islamabad, an official from the Department of Archaeology said.

The memorial was located at the site of the Margalla Enclave housing scheme, a joint project of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), in Islamabad’s Zone IV.

An archaeology department official told the BBC Urdu that the department had earlier asked the CDA to develop a preservation plan for the monument as a Mughal-era mosque also stood nearby.

“We had warned them and requested a protection plan, but we received no response,” the official said, adding that authorities were now asking how the memorial could be preserved after it had already been torn down.

“It is like killing someone and then asking how they can be brought back to life,” the official said.

A CDA spokesperson said they were unaware of the demolition.

The memorial was originally constructed in 1914, before the creation of Pakistan, near Rehara village on what is now known as Kuri Road, according to local residents and officials.

Request to relocate rejected

Officials said the CDA and the private housing developer had approached the archaeology department about six months ago seeking a no-objection certificate to relocate the memorial around 100 metres from its original site to a planned traffic roundabout.

The proposal was rejected, with the department saying the monument was built to honour soldiers from villages such as Rehara and moving it would undermine its historical purpose.

The archeology department also recommended that the memorial be included in Islamabad’s list of protected heritage sites and requested documentation from the CDA, which officials said was not provided.

Authorities from the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture visited the memorial and the nearby mosque on Tuesday, which officials say dates back to the Mughal period.

However, by the time officials arrived, the memorial had already been demolished.

Local residents said heavy machinery had been used in recent days to level the land around the monument, raising concerns that the structure had begun to tilt.

The memorial, built on a 30-foot mound, was considered a source of pride for the community, residents said.

Earlier, a CDA spokesperson had said the monument had not been demolished and that the DHA had been asked to submit a plan to ensure its protection, adding that a small park-like area was being developed around it.

Names of soldiers engraved

Retired military officers have also been campaigning for the memorial’s preservation, including retired Major General Ali Hamid.

He told the BBC that more than 50 such memorials were built across the Potohar region before Pakistan’s independence to recognise those who fought in World War I.

“These memorials recorded how many men took part in the war, how many returned and how many were killed,” he said.

Hamid said he and others had written to relevant authorities, including the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, which had assured them that steps would be taken to protect such monuments.