RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has settled a boundary controversy between the districts of Attock and Rawalpindi.

The issue of jurisdiction emerged after Islamabad International Airport (IIA) was made operational in 2018.

According to a notification issued by the Home Department, the runway of the airport, Airport Security Force (ASF) Colony, parking area and the main terminal building along with the three-kilometre funnel around it, comprising boundaries of five Patwar circles, have been included in the limits of the Naseerabad police station of Rawalpindi.

The Home Department has also sent letters in this regard to the commissioner and the regional, city police officer Rawalpindi and the district police officer of Attock as well as the inspector general of police Punjab.

IIA, the first greenfield airport of Pakistan, is located within the territorial limits of the three districts of Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Attock.

The territorial boundaries of the airport spread across the three districts, which led to legal issues after the airport became operational. The airport terminal building and runway, etc. were temporarily included in the jurisdiction of the New Airport police station of Attock.

However, the district administration of Rawalpindi had sent the case to the Punjab government for a permanent solution.

Recently, the Punjab Cabinet Standing Committee on Law and Order approved the resolution of the boundary issue after which the Home Department issued a notification and sent letters to the chief secretary, commissioner and RPO Rawalpindi, the deputy commissioner and the DPO Attock as well as the city police officer Rawalpindi and the provincial police chief.

The letter stated that after the approval of the Cabinet Standing Committee on Law and Order, “the runway, ASF Colony, parking area, main terminal and its funnel area (approximately three kilometres on each side, which includes five Patwar circles of Murat (location Ganda), Jungle (location Jungle, Kak Chaudhry, Mian Rashida, Chak Phato), Thatti Gujran (Daulatpur), Kanyal (Dhoke Mian Accha Dikhli Kanyal) and Mahlo (Mahlo, Raman) which were earlier under the territorial jurisdiction of New Airport Police Station Attock will from now onwards fall under the jurisdiction of Naseerabad Police Station of Rawalpindi.”

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025