Civil society representatives have urged the new CDA chairman to place Islamabad’s greenery and ecological balance at the centre of future planning. In a letter, they also called for participatory governance and consideration of integrated public transport over further road expansion.
ISLAMABAD: A group of civil society representatives has written to the newly appointed chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), welcoming his appointment and offering what it described as constructive engagement on the future development of the federal capital.
According to the letter issued on Friday, the signatories said public sentiment had shifted and that many residents were dissatisfied with the approach adopted by the outgoing administration. They said the previous tenure had been associated with the expansion of road infrastructure projects that, in the view of many citizens, came at the cost of Islamabad’s green cover.
The signatories said they supported efforts aimed at improving the city, but stressed that Islamabad’s development should remain sustainable and environmentally balanced. They urged the authority to consider whether an integrated public transport system would better serve the city’s long-term requirements than continued road expansion.
The group said the new CDA chairman had an opportunity to move away from a conventional brick-and-mortar approach and instead focus on preserving the natural features that shape Islamabad’s identity. In the letter, they called for a system of participatory governance under which major policy decisions are preceded by broad consultations with stakeholders.
Public appeal and signatories
The complete text of the letter has been shared publicly on a Facebook page titled Islamabad Matters 2026, which was created to coordinate efforts on the issue.
The appeal was endorsed by a range of individuals who signed in their personal capacities rather than on behalf of institutions. Those named in the letter include Allama Iqbal Open University Vice Chancellor Dr Nasir Mehmood, former Higher Education Commission chairman Dr Tariq Banuri, former Supreme Court Bar Association president Haroonur Rashid, former Sustainable Development Policy Institute executive director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Pakistan Green Task Force chairman Dr Jamal Nasir, All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran president Ajmal Baloch, I-SAPS Executive Director Dr Salman Humayun, and former ICT chief commissioner Tariq Pirzada.
The letter said many more residents had also expressed interest in signing it, but the listed names were intended to reflect the broad professional and social range of people seeking a greener, more liveable and world-class capital.
The outreach framed the group’s position as one of support for city improvement, while urging the CDA’s new leadership to place ecological protection and inclusive decision-making at the centre of Islamabad’s future planning.
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