Islamabad: Shifting of foreign missions from residential areas ordered

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Committee seeks report on embassies operating in residential sectors, houses rented by foreigners within three weeks

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Wednesday issued fresh directives for the early shifting of the foreign missions from the capital’s residential areas to the Diplomatic Enclave.

During a meeting at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Headquarters with Senator Talha Mehmood in the chair, the committee observed that the presence of foreign missions in residential areas posed serious threats to the security of residents and the diplomats.

It directed Chief Commissioner of Islamabad Fazeel Asghar to form a committee to prepare a report on the number of embassies operating in the city’s residential areas, total land allotted to them in the Diplomatic Enclave, houses rented by the foreigners, and the number of roads blocked in the city within the next three weeks.

The officials of the capital police, the CDA, the Interior Ministry and the Foreign Office will make up the committee.

The committee will also know as to who authorised the Marriott Hotel management to block one side of the Agha Khan Road for traffic.

The detection of the exact expenditures spent by the Interior Ministry on the foreign missions’ security will also be their task.

During the meeting, the Interior Ministry officials said a committee had been formed to determine the number of houses rented by foreigners in the federal capital. They said a survey for the purpose was near completion, adding its findings would be submitted to the ministry shortly.

Mehmood directed CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi to act against the authority officials, who submitted incorrect information to the committee regarding the embassies operating in the city’s residential areas, and the land allotted to them in the Diplomatic Enclave.

He also expressed anger at the provision of wrong details to the committee by the Interior Ministry regarding arrangements for the foreign missions’ security.

He issued directions for the early supply of the sought-after information.

The committee chairman also suggested that the CDA build a multi-storey building in the Diplomatic Enclave and rent it out to foreign missions for shifting their offices from the capital’s residential areas. He asked the FO officials to approach foreign missions for the early shifting of their offices to the Diplomatic Enclave.

Meanwhile, the committee members regretted the inconvenience caused to motorists and pedestrians by police pickets outside embassies in Islamabad’s residential areas.

Inspector General of Police Kaleem Imam told the meeting that police had established pickets near embassies, which had received serious terror threats.

He further said establishment of pickets in the city was part of the police’s counter-terrorism strategy. He said capital police arrested 51 terrorists during the last three months.

Besides representatives of the CDA, the capital police, the Interior Ministry and the FO, Senators Jamal Leghari, Gulshan Saeed, Najma Hameed, Abdul Malik, Nayyar Bukhari and Sughra Imam also attended the meeting.

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91 embassies, foreign firms operating in residential areas

* Senate committee concerned over barricading roads in Islamabad
* Moving embassies to diplomatic enclave will solve security concerns

ISLAMABAD: As many as 43 diplomatic missions embassies and 48 foreign companies are functioning in the residential sectors of Islamabad in complete violation of the non-conforming use of residential units, the chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) informed the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Wednesday.

The chairman said the CDA had repeatedly written to the Foreign Office (FO) to take up the matter with the countries concerned to relocate the offices of their embassies to the diplomatic enclave, but nothing had been done so far.

A senior FO representative said they had never received any letter from the CDA, however, adding that the land was being provided to foreign missions and embassies on a reciprocal basis.

Concerned: The Senate body, presided over by Senator Talha Mehmood, expressed serious concern over barricading different roads of the capital and constructing huge blocks around the embassies and missions in different residential sectors.

The members of the committee were of the view that security arrangements made for foreign missions and embassies in different sectors of the federal capital was a matter of grave concern for the public.

After representatives of the Ministry of Interior, ICT Administration, CDA and Foreign Office passed the responsibility of constructing blocks around embassies amongst each other, the chairman expressed concern over the lack of coordination between the three departments and formed a committee under the supervision of the Chief Commission Islamabad to inform him in three weeks as to how many roads had been encroached by embassies, missions and foreign companies in the Capital.

Talha said the government was spending billion of rupees for the protection, safety and security of foreign missions and other offices established in Islamabad.

The right move: He said the 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.

Senator Talha asked Ministry of Interior to provide complete details of expenditure incurred on security and protection of foreign missions annually to the committee in the next meeting.

Leader of the House in Senate Syed Nayyer Bukhari asked the officials concerned that they provide complete and accurate data to the standing committees.

During the meeting, Interior Ministry officials said a committee had been formed to determine the number of houses rented by foreigners in the federal capital. They said a survey for the purpose was near completion, adding that its findings would soon be submitted to the ministry.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior expressed concern over the delay in shifting of foreign diplomatic missions from the capital’s residential areas to the diplomatic enclave and directed the department concerned to make efforts for shifting of the foreign missions from residential areas.

Earlier, the committee expressed sorrow and grief over the death of a police official who had sustained several injuries during an attack on the Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi.

IGP Islamabad Syed Kaleem Imam said the police had erected police pickets across the city due to the current law and order situation.

The meeting was attended by Senators Syed Nayyer Bukhari, Jamal Leghari, Sughra Imam, Gulshan Saeed, Dr Abdul Malik, Najma Hameed, representatives of the Ministry of Interior and Foreign Office, chief commissioner ICT, IGP Islamabad and chairman CDA. fazal sher/app

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2009_pg7_1