ISLAMABAD is often called a green and well-planned city, but recent proposed developments near the foothills of Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) are beginning to challenge that image. Plans for new roads, parks and high-end infrastructure are being presented in the name of development and progress. Although these ideas may sound promising, they raise an important question: what would they cost us in the future?

As any architect would tell you, good design starts long before construction; it begins with understanding the land, the environment and the life that already exist there. The Margalla Hills are not empty land for development. They are a living system that keeps Islamabad’s air clean, regulates temperature, and provides a home to wildlife species.

When our leaders talk about creating modern, high-quality facilities in a scenic location, it may sound lucrative, but it also reduces MHNP to something to be used and consumed, valued more for its aesthetics than its function for the city.

In essence, this way of thinking misses a rather important truth: the natural systems of Margalla are precisely what make Islamabad liveable in the first place.

There is also a worrying trend behind these proposals. The focus on high-end spaces suggests that nature is being re-packaged for a limited, elite group rather than being protected as a shared resource for everyone. What should remain open and natural risks becoming controlled, commercialised and less accessible over time.

Besides, wildlife can lose homes, natural pathways can be blocked, and the systems that support clean air and water can begin to break down. Once such damage happens, it is impossible to fully undo it. Planting new trees later cannot replace a mature forest, and building more infrastructure cannot fix a disrupted ecosystem.

Development is important, but it should not come at the cost of the very environ-ment that supports us. A city cannot survive without the natural systems around it. Protecting the Margalla Hills is not about stopping progress; it is about making sure that development does not take away more than it gives.

Sohaib Qureshi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026