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| December 3, 2005 | Saturday | Shawwal 30, 1426 |
New GHQ to be eighth wonder: PML-N
ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: Central leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) on Friday denounced the government’s plan to construct a new General Headquarters (GHQ) in the capital as a huge housing scheme in the name of building “Defence Services Complex”.
PML-N MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq, vice-president Mushahidullah Khan and the ARD information secretary, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, alleged at a press conference that the GHQ project was the most expensive project in the country’s history.
They were not against the construction of the new GHQ but were opposing the launching of a housing project in the name of defence needs, said Mr Rafiq.
He claimed the new GHQ being constructed over 2,450 acres in the federal capital’s prime sectors of E-10 and D-11 would cost $2.4 billion and would be the world’s largest GHQ when finished. He said the cost did not include the price of the land which the Ministry of Defence bought from the Capital Development Authority at a throwaway price.
When completed the new GHQ would be the eighth wonder of the world, he said, asserting that it would be the only GHQ which would have large bungalows, luxury apartments and commercial buildings.
He said that according to his information, there would be 90 bungalows of six bed rooms, 300 bungalows of four bed rooms and 14,750 luxury apartments.
Besides this, he said, three lakes covering 45 acres would be created inside the complex. Some 40 blocks of quarters for non- commissioned army officers would also be built.
Mr Rafiq disclosed that the complex would have 12 schools and two colleges for the children of officers serving in the GHQ. There would be 8 to 10 big community centres with play areas for children and four multipurpose halls in the complex.
It would be the only GHQ in the world to have commercial high-rise buildings, he said, expressing surprise that just 200 acres of the total 2,450 acres had been earmarked for office buildings.
Mr Rafiq asked the military leadership not to put “this huge financial burden on the poor people of the country”. He took exception to the statement of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz that the GHQ was being built by army through sale of its own lands.
He asserted that the military lands belonged to the federal and provincial governments. “What will we do if tomorrow Pakistan railways starts selling its lands to build its head office in the same fashion?” he asked.
He called for stopping work at the site. He said the nation would have no objection, if this amount was spent on the purchase of defence equipment.
The PML-N leaders said that a few “ruling generals” were bringing bad name to the armed forces, which had already become controversial due to their indulgence in politics.
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