ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is considering a proposal of establishing a compound inside the Diplomatic Enclave to accommodate embassies operating in residential areas, Dawn has learnt.

Sources in the CDA told Dawn that over 30 embassies and diplomatic missions have their offices in residential areas in violation of CDA’s bylaws.

According to the CDA Ordinance 1960 and Building and Zone Regulations, commercial outlets including embassies can’t operate in residential areas.

Following the Supreme Court orders, the CDA is cracking down on the houses violating its by-laws. But CDA was undecided about taking action against the embassies and diplomatic missions operating in residential areas, the sources said.

“We are thinking of establishing a big compound inside the Diplomatic Enclave where we will temporarily shift all those embassies, which are operating in residential areas.

In the meantime, we will request the embassies through the foreign office to start construction of their own buildings on the plots allotted to them,” said a CDA officer, who was not authorised to speak on record.

Out of total 33 embassies, 20 have their own plots inside the Diplomatic Enclave, but they have failed to construct their own buildings.

The officer said that Planning Wing of the civic body had been tasked to prepare a summary in this regard. “We will share this summary with the Foreign Office, if approved, we will place it before our own board for final approval,” he said.

When contacted, CDA’s spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said: “A proposal of establishing a compound inside the diplomatic enclave is under consideration. We will share it with Foreign Office before taking any decision,” he said.

To a query, the spokesman said that according to CDA’s Ordinance 1960, no commercial outlets, embassies and even schools can operate in residential areas.

“But in case of the embassies operating in residential areas, we have been seeking foreign office guidance,” he said.

The countries, which have been alloted plots in Diplomatic Enclave, but are still holding their embassies in residential areas are: Sweden, Libya, Hungry, Norway, Bangladesh, Philippine, Belgium, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, the Kazakhstan, the Brazil, Jordan, Korea, Tajikistan, Tunisia and the Afghanistan.

The embassies of Denmark, Turkmenistan, Portugal, Ukraine, South Africa, Maldives, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Vietnam, Romania and the European Union are also operating in residential areas, but they don’t have plots in the enclave.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2016