SOME would argue that all commercial facilities and private land holdings should be excluded from public parks and national parks so that green spaces, especially in urban areas, can be protected and preserved as an untouched 'wilderness' landscape.

But a basic dilemma has produced controversy over such a public park policy.

As population increases and with it, the demand for better recreation and entertainment facilities which a public body - like CDA in Islamabad - is unable to deliver, private developers are often enlisted and relied upon to develop, operate and expand such facilities on public land - such as parks - under the public-private partnership concept.

However, this scenario often conflicts with the original philosophy underlying the public and national park concepts.

In Islamabad, such controversy has been plaguing Fatima Jinnah Park, where two major privately developed facilities have emerged.

The first is an entertainment complex comprising the restaurant Hot Shots, a bowling alley, a laser gaming arcade and several shops. The other is the only outlet in Islamabad of the international fast food franchise, McDonald's.

McDonald's was established on a 6,000 square yard piece of public property in a corner of Fatima Jinnah Park after years of negotiations to establish the outlet in Islamabad on private premises in Jinnah Supermarket failed to fall through.

However, CDA is now in the Supreme Court defending its decision to rent out a cordoned off portion of Fatima Jinnah Park to McDonald's on a 33-year lease at Rs300,000 a month.

If other eateries are allowed to operate in public parks in Islamabad, why not McDonald's too? After all private operators are providing food and other services in the entertainment complex located in the same park that McDonald's is in.Private local operators are also running six restaurants in a small public park in sub-sector F-7/3 near Jinnah Supermarket without any apparent problems. These six restaurants together form a circular design - hence its name, Gol Market.

In fact, other privately operated food services also exist on the premises of another public green area of Islamabad, i.e. the Margalla Hills National Park instituted in 1980.

There are at least five recreational spots located within the Margalla Hills National Park area and all of them house privately operated eateries.

In Lake View Park on the shores of Rawal Lake, there is an outlet of the local Red Onion restaurant, which was first opened in Blue Area.

Daman-i-Koh View Point, the first stop on the road up the Margalla Hills range, has three eateries. Two of them were recently established when the spot was renovated by CDA in the mid-2000s.

Two other recreational spots higher up on the Margalla Hills range, i.e. Talhar and Pir Sohawa, are also well-known eating places.

Another recreational spot situated within the Margalla Hills National Park is the Shakarparian park area. The latter has at least two recently opened restaurants, viz. Virsa Café and “1969”. In addition there are also several Khokas - the local version of open-air cafes - in the sprawling grounds of Shakarparian, which also house the Rose and Jasmine Garden.

The emergence in recent years of so many new eateries in Islamabad - international and local fast food joints as well as other kinds of restaurants - is a reflection of the public demand for such entertainment activity in a city hitherto starved of variety in leisure activities.

If the real issue with McDonald's is the dearth of clear-cut policy and rules on private development of commercial facilities in parks in general and by international companies/franchises in particular, such policy and rules should be appropriately formulated and legislated so as to ensure transparency in CDA's process of engaging in partnership with investors - big or small, international/franchise or local - to provide a wide range of recreational services to the public in its parks.

A definitive policy on private development in parks could also facilitate CDA's efforts to develop more recreational facilities for the public in the Margalla Hills National Park area, like the proposed cable car facility for instance.

Such a policy could also encourage other international food franchises, e.g. Pizza Hut, KFC and Subway, to establish outlets in park areas, giving visitors a wider selection of food choices. These fast food franchises have so far only established their outlets in rented private buildings in major markets in Islamabad like Jinnah Supermarket, F-6 Supermarket, F-10 Markaz and Blue Area.

While recognition that parks and urban green spaces need to be protected is important and should be acted upon, a policy of park preservation and conservation does not mean total non-development.

A public park, as the name suggests, is for the public and is supposed to serve the interests of the public. An undeveloped public or national park will be of little interest to the public; in fact such a park deprives the public of the right and access to meaningful recreational activity.

On the other hand, a rejuvenated and enhanced park will not only attract visitors, it will also create jobs as well as help the concerned public body, i.e. CDA, to generate funds for the maintenance and further development and improvement of its parks.