FOR much of its existence, Islamabad has had the pride of place for Pakistan’s rulers, precisely because it is not the typical Third World megacity. Sleepy, green and as elitist as it comes, the Islamabad that will come into being in the not too distant future threatens to be even more elitist, restless and disastrously grey.

The word is that the (new) capital is going to resemble a mix of Manhattan and Shanghai, even while it retains the scenic splendour of the Margalla Hills. But will there even be any Margalla Hills to speak of after they have been subjected to the current regime’s delusions of grandeur?

Consider what is already happening to the city’s working-class population. Over the past few months, mass evictions accompanied by repression in both the city’s katchi abadis and historical villages have rendered thousands of families homeless. By all accounts, the rulers intend to leave nothing standing, potentially wiping out the homes of half a million people. According to the 2023 census, Islamabad’s total population is a little shy of 2.5m; the ‘world class city’ being advertised will come into being by displacing one-fifth of the people who already live........

© Dawn