ISLAMABAD, May 29: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to remove 50 unauthorized mosques constructed in the federal capital without its approval, a senior official of the CDA’s planning wing told Dawn on Thursday.

The authority has already sent a summary to the interior ministry seeking approval for the removal of unauthorized mosques.

The official said most of the unauthorized mosques were built without the submission of proper building plans while some were constructed on state land. A grand operation to remove such mosques would start within the next couple of weeks, he added.

He said these mosques were situated in different areas of the capital. The District Auqaf Department had also been informed about the CDA’s plan regarding removal of unauthorized mosques, he added.

The department, he said, would assist the CDA in conducting the operation. Negotiations with the management committees of unauthorized mosques were in progress to settle the issue in a peaceful manner, he added.

“After thorough study of all cases of unauthorized mosques, we have decided to remove 50 mosques,” the official said.

When asked what sort of violations had been committed in the construction of such mosques, the official said some of the mosques were constructed on state land as a result of which the size of relevant roads and streets had squeezed.

“In some cases more than 100 feet of state land had been encroached for the mosques,” he added.

The official said the chief commissioner Islamabad had also asked the CDA and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration to chalk out a joint plan to tackle this issue by providing alternative places to unauthorized mosques.

He said a total of 400 mosques and Madaris were present in the capital of which 50 were stated to be unauthorized.

Some of these were reportedly established on the roadsides, some on green-belts and some had violated the building laws of the CDA, he added.

In some cases, the authority had allowed only one or two rooms for mosques, but, instead huge buildings were constructed there in violation of the CDA rules, the official said.

He said in most of the cases establishment of a Madressah had not been allowed, but almost every unauthorized mosque had a Madressah in its premises.

A source in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration said some 12,000 to 15,000 students were studying and residing in these Madaris, and if any action was taken against unauthorized mosques, their students could become violent and create law and order situation in the capital.

He said the ICT administration had been directed by the government to launch a crackdown on Madaris in the capital.

A source in the CDA said some of the unauthorized mosques could be regularized if the violations of CDA rules were removed.