ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) enforcement wing was forced to retreat from Saidpur Village on Monday after facing fierce resistance from local residents and legal intervention from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
A heavy contingent of the CDA enforcement team, accompanied by local police, arrived in the historic village nestled in the Margalla Hills to remove what they termed “illegal encroachments.” However, the operation was immediately stalled as hundreds of residents gathered to protest, blocking the path of heavy machinery.
The primary roadblock for the civic authority was a restraining order issued by the Islamabad High Court just days prior. During the confrontation, residents and their legal representatives presented the CDA team with a certified copy of the court order passed in Writ Petition.
According to the official Order Sheet Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas has explicitly barred the CDA from taking coercive action against the properties of the petitioners, led by Raja Muhammad Safdar Khan.
The petition, filed through, argued that the residents were being targeted without due process. The counsel contended that the petitioners sought the same relief already granted in a related case, where the court had already intervened to protect local settlements.
Beyond the stay order, the court has also:
The IHC has directed the CDA and other respondents to file their reports and “para-wise comments” before the next hearing.
The matter has been relisted alongside W.P. No. 1488/2026 to ensure a uniform judicial decision regarding the status of Saidpur’s residential structures.
The CDA team initially insisted on proceeding, claiming they were only targeting commercial encroachments not covered by the stay. However, the protesters argued that the “blanket protection” provided by the IHC’s recent order applied to the disputed area in its entirety.
“We have lived here for generations. The CDA cannot simply come and demolish our homes while the matter is sub judice,” said one resident during the protest.
Facing a potential contempt of court charge and a volatile crowd, the CDA officials eventually withdrew from the site. A senior official from the CDA’s Enforcement Directorate stated that the authority would consult its legal wing before planning the next steps, though they maintained that the drive is part of a broader mission to retrieve state land.
The IHC is expected to take up the case again in the coming weeks, where the CDA must justify its claims to the land in light of the residents’ longstanding possession.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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