The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has clarified that Islamabad’s proposed new cricket stadium will be built near Sector D-12, in an area the authority says falls under Zone III, not inside the notified limits of Margalla Hills National Park.
The clarification comes after the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) sought details of the project’s exact site and layout, following CDA’s recent move to invite bids for the stadium’s construction.
IWMB had asked whether the proposed location lies within, touches, or overlaps the national park boundary or the 100-metre protected buffer zone defined under the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act, 2024.
CDA officials say the selected site is located in Zone III, where land-use rules allow recreational projects, and argue that a cricket stadium falls within the permitted category.
They added that any allied facilities linked to stadium operations can also be planned under the same framework, while broader commercial activities, if proposed later, would require federal approval.
According to information discussed in CDA meetings, the stadium is being planned as part of a larger Olympic Village concept spread over roughly 175 acres.
The proposed venue is expected to offer an open view of the Margalla hills and have seating for around 32,000 spectators, along with a dedicated parking arrangement for approximately 10,000 vehicles located about a kilometre away.
The authority has also indicated the project aims to follow a model similar to the Dubai cricket stadium concept. An earlier PC-1 was approved at Rs. 12 billion, while revised planning is said to have brought the estimated cost down to around Rs. 8 billion.
Islamabad and Rawalpindi currently rely on the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium for international fixtures, a setup that often results in heavy congestion and extensive security measures on match days due to team movement between the two cities.
CDA officials maintain that the wildlife board has not objected to the stadium so far, but is seeking documentation to ensure regulatory compliance before any work begins.
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A country running on AID. Shameless
Olympic type village ? Who is going to come to this country to play when even its own citizens are under extreme strain to live here ? It seems like another scheme to syphon off the tax payers money , destroy the ecology of Islamabad and for making it into a concrete jungle.
Pro Pakistan is also expected to do investigative journalism of its own. Zone III north of sector D-12 is already encroached from Shah Allah Dita side without any check. An illegal sector named C-12 and a huge restaurant are there in gross violation of Zone III provisions even a house is constructed on the hilltop within MHNP limits. Once stadium and allied services are built the area will turn into a commercial hub similar to Pindi Stadium
I personally think this is a bad idea, construction and opening would lead to a net negative overall cost for the environment, I am pretty fond with what area is going to be used as far as I know and that area sits very near the margalla foot hills. Naturally one thinks of disrupted nature and it’s views and deforestation of the area even though the area itself might not have that much trees it’s still a very green and vegetated site and the massive project would certainly goes much harm. Not to forget how crowded the area could become and all vip movements etc that could become. a huge problem for residents of E11 and D12. Honestly such a project would be ideal in the outskirts of the city, near foothills sounds like a horrible idea from all angles.