Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday that eight museums will be built on around 150 acres in Islamabad, to represent different aspects of Pakistan's history and heritage. He made the announcement while visiting government land in Malpur and Bara Kahu, which he said was under illegal occupation. Naqvi tied the plan to a wider drive to recover state property in the federal capital.
Four museums named so far
Naqvi named four of the planned museums: the National Heritage Museum, the History Museum, the Armed Forces Museum and the Islamic Museum. He said the project would cover approximately 150 acres and that the site had already been marked for it. The Islamabad museums are meant to show several sides of the country's past and its heritage.
Illegal occupation of government land
Naqvi said 108 kanals of government land in Ahmadpur had been occupied and that construction had taken place there. A kanal is a traditional local unit of land. He said public property, including land and apartments, was being occupied without fear of accountability, and that cases where people had held government land for decades needed to be addressed.
The minister also referred to farmhouses built on government land and used for 20 to 25 years. He said authorities could eventually demolish such structures and recover possession, but that the wider issue needed attention beyond individual cases.
What happens next
Naqvi said the government would work with all relevant stakeholders to reclaim government land in Islamabad and complete the planned projects. He called for joint efforts by the administration, the media and other stakeholders to deal with illegal occupation in the federal capital. He reiterated that recovering state land was necessary before the Islamabad museums and other development projects could move forward.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ne Islamabad mein 150 acres zameen par aath museum banane ka elaan kiya hai. In museums mein Pakistan ki tareekh aur virsay ke mukhtalif pehlu dikhaye jayen ge. Unka kehna hai ke pehle sarkari zameen par qabza khatam karna zaroori hai. Is waqt mansoobay ki lagat aur kaam shuru hone ki tareekh nahi batayi gayi.
