THE early 1980s was a time when major landmarks in the federal capital were still under construction, with Parliament House, Supreme Court building, Faisal Masjid, Presidency and Cabinet Block still halfway to completion.

Meanwhile, Jinnah Avenue, the central artery of Blue Area, had just been finished. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) was then under the leadership of Jan Nadir Khan, a seasoned engineer. He was entrusted with the task of accelerating the pace of development work, as the sluggish progress of several mega projects had become a concern for the government of the time.

The engineer was a hands-on leader who frequently drove himself around the capital to inspect ongoing projects, observing them from the public’s perspective.

One day, while driving along the nearly deserted Jinnah Avenue, he noted that the lanes were too narrow for a major thoroughfare, likening them to ‘typewriter ribbons’ spread across the road.

When he reached the northern end of Jinnah Avenue, he stopped in front of the under-construction Parliament House. Gazing at the structure, he remarked that in order to truly appr-eciate the grandeur of the building, there needed to be a setback, a designated open space, in front of it.

The next morning, during a CDA board meeting, he instructed the relevant director to cordon off a D-shaped area in front of Parliament House, allowing the public to admire the iconic building from an appropriate distance.

And so, D-Chowk was born. However, when someone asked him what the new space would be called, the engineer smiled and replied: “Let us call it Chand Chowk. Let its light reflect on the many Chandni Chowks scattered across the subcontinent.”

Alas, a landmark, which was conceived with the aim of enabling the general public to cherish and admire the beauty of Parliament House, a symbol of democracy and unity, has been degenerated by anti-state elements into a place for spreading anarchy and chaos. Now, the residents of the capital city are punished merely for being the inhabitants of Islamabad.

The punishment is meted out at the very same spot that was created for the people to enable them to admire the grandeur of the symbol of democracy. What a pity!

Mohammad Zubair
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2025