On 4 December 2002, the federal government approved the first comprehensive technical review of Islamabad’s 1960 master plan. The cabinet was informed that rapid population growth, uncontrolled commercialisation and extensive public and private construction had fundamentally altered the original plan, while land-use patterns and designated green areas had also changed significantly. The meeting emphasised the need to restore the master plan, protect green zones and enforce zoning regulations, directing the CDA to begin the technical review with the support of international specialists.

Below are the verified deviations and alterations recorded in the 1960 master plan of Islamabad.

▫️Over 40 percent of land use had changed

The original distribution of land residential, commercial, institutional and green areas, had been altered by more than 40 percent, either officially changed or used in an unplanned manner.

▫️Nearly 30 percent reduction in green areas

Green belts, parks and reserved forests were reduced by almost one third compared to the original plan. Public and private construction, expansion of institutional buildings, residential encroachments and illegal occupation severely damaged the city’s green cover.

▫️Commercial zones had tripled

Islamabad was originally designed as a non commercial capital, but by 2002, uncontrolled commercialisation had expanded markets, plazas, marriage halls and private businesses to nearly three times the size of the original commercial zones.

▫️Over 100 zoning violations recorded

According to CDA’s internal reports, more than 100 documented violations were identified across Zones I to V by 2002.

Examples included:

* Commercial construction on residential plots

* Encroachments in Zone 3 (foothills of Margalla)

* Institutional buildings on green areas

* Housing schemes in Zone 4 where only farming was permitted

▫️Alignment of 52 major roads and corridors changed

Increased traffic pressure had altered the original alignment at 52 locations, including redesigned intersections, re-engineered corridors, conversions from single to dual roads and overloaded urban arteries.

▫️Population exceeded projections by 250 percent

The 1960 master plan projected Islamabad’s population to remain between 300,000 and 400,000 by the year 2000.

But by 2002, the population had crossed one million, two and a half times higher than anticipated, placing enormous pressure on services, infrastructure and the environment.

▫️Housing schemes expanded by 70 percent beyond planned limits

The spread of public and private housing schemes in Zones 2, 4 and 5 exceeded the master plan’s projections by 70 percent, much of it unplanned.

Summary

By 2002, Islamabad’s 1960 master plan had undergone severe distortion:

* 40 percent of land use had changed

* 25–30 percent of green areas were lost or damaged

* Commercial zones had expanded threefold

* More than 100 zoning violations had been recorded

* Alignment of 52 major roads had shifted

* Population exceeded projections by 250 percent

* Housing schemes had spread 70 percent beyond the planned limits

These factors prompted the federal government’s decision on 4 December 2002 to launch the first full technical review of the master plan. The aim was to reorganise the capital’s development according to modern international planning standards.

Islamabad’s master plan, prepared in 1960 by Greek architect Constantinos A. Doxiadis, envisioned a capital defined by controlled population, extensive green belts, balanced sectoral architecture and environmental protection. However, weak enforcement over the decades gradually changed the city’s urban form.

By the 1980s, the city’s population began increasing at a pace never anticipated by the master plan. The projected three to four lakh residents grew to over one million by 2002, placing direct pressure on public services, roads, parks, traffic systems and the environment.