ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will hold a bid evaluation meeting for the mega cricket stadium project on Monday (today).
Last month, it had received technical bids from two joint ventures (JVs) for the construction of the first-ever cricket stadium in Islamabad. According to PC-I, the total cost of the project was estimated at Rs12 billion.
The stadium will be built at the foothills of Margalla Hills near Sector D-12. In response to the CDA tender, surprisingly only two JVs – Habib Construction, ZKB-EA and JV of Lemar Builders, BK Consultants Pvt Ltd – submitted their bids last month.
“On Monday, we will hold first meeting of bid evaluation committee. Once this process is completed we will move for financial bids,” said an officer of CDA.
He said the project will be executed under the Engineering Procured and Construction (EPC) model, in which the JVs, besides their technical bids, submitted their designs. In the next phase, they will be asked to submit their financial bids.
Meanwhile, CDA has already received bids from two consultant firms as well – a Pakistani firm, Asian with a Turkish company as JV and Nespak. After a technical evaluation, the CDA will take a final decision on bids of the consultant as well.
The land where stadium is going to be constructed falls in Zone III, where sports and recreational activities are permissible, but commercial activities are totally banned. The CDA will have to get permission from the federal government for allied work such as commercial areas and construction of hotels.
The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) in January this year had asked the CDA to share with it the layout plan of the proposed cricket stadium.
A letter from the IWMB stated: “With reference to the advertisement issued by CDA inviting e-bids for the construction of cricket stadium near sector D-12 Islamabad, under EPC mode, this office seeks clarification regarding the exact location and layout plan of the proposed project site.”
The letter questioned whether the proposed site falls within or overlaps notified boundaries of the national park.
It added, “Whether the proposed site falls within, abuts, or otherwise overlaps the notified boundaries of Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) or any area falling within 100-meter buffer zone declared as protected area under the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act, 2024.”
The letter also explained section 14 of the Act, which says: “An area falling within 100 meters outside the boundary of a National Park or a wildlife sanctuary shall be considered a protected area buffer zone, provided it is state land or acquired for this purpose.”
“Development in buffer zone, including structures, roads, buildings, or any other infrastructure or facility, shall be designed and operated in such manner that disturbance to wildlife in National Park minimized.”
According to the law, no development shall take place in a buffer zone unless a no-objection certificate (NOC) is obtained from the board prior to commencement of development.
The CDA, in collaboration with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), wants to construct the stadium on around 50 acres in a proposed Olympic Village to be set up in 175 acres in that area. However, it is not clear whether or not the CDA, which is providing land for the project, will also bear the construction cost of the international cricket stadium.
In the past, after getting land from the CDA, PCB had started construction of a stadium in Shakarparian from its own fund, but the project was scraped on the direction of the Supreme Court.
In recent CDA meetings, it was stated that the proposed stadium will have an open view of the Margallas and a seating capacity of around 32,000 with a parking facility for 10,000 cars around one kilometre away from the stadium for the general public.
Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2026
