The American embassy has acquired additional eight acre land at a cost of Rs 1.7 billion and has commenced construction on it without submitting site plan of its proposed complex with the CDA's concerned directorate, an informed official revealed to this correspondent.
He admitted that an inordinate delay in development of new diplomatic enclave by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) is the reason behind over 90 embassies and foreign companies operating in different residential sectors of the city, which is not only in open violation of laws but also causing security problems as well as creating hindrance for citizens.
"The CDA had allocated 700 acres land for establishment of new diplomatic enclave but has not yet started development of new diplomatic enclave due to which around 43 diplomatic missions and 48 foreign companies are functioning in residential sectors of Islamabad in complete violation of CDA by-laws.", an official source told Business Recorder.
The officials said that embassies located in the residential areas have sent applications to CDA to allot plots to them in diplomatic enclave to enable them to shift their offices for security reasons.
He said that foreign missions are openly violating CDA's laws as they have barricaded different roads and constructed huge blocks around their embassies and residences. Similarly, in the wake of law-and-order situation in the country, government has made security arrangements for foreign missions and embassies in different sectors of the federal capital which is creating problems for the public, he said.
The official said that government is spending billions of rupees on the protection, safety and security of foreign missions and other offices established in Islamabad. Shifting of embassies to the diplomatic enclave would not only address the security concerns of these embassies, but would also save money incurred in this regard, he said.
He said that the embassies and foreign missions, functioning in residential areas, include embassies of Algeria, Norway, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Hungary, Denmark, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Philippines, Belgium, Malaysia, Sudan, Oman, Libya, Brazil, Romania, Afghanistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Australia, Holland, Korea, Portugal and Portugal (Chancery), Republic of Northern Cyprus, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Finland and Latvia.