ISLAMABAD: The management of the Jammu and Kashmir Cooperative Housing Society (J&KCHS) is moving ahead with a proposal to merge its Khayaban-e-Kashmir-II scheme in Zone-V with Gulberg Residencia Islamabad, despite categorical resistance from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
According to official records, the CDA approved the layout plan (LoP) for Khayaban-e-Kashmir-II in 2008 over 1,280 kanals of land in Zone-V. To secure the approval, J&KCHS transferred 543 kanals to the civic authority for public amenities including parks, roads, graveyards and schools while another 135 kanals were mortgaged with the CDA as a guarantee for timely completion of the scheme.
However, successive management committees of the society failed to initiate development work on site, leaving hundreds of members waiting for possession of plots.
The incumbent management committee has now decided to merge the stalled scheme with Gulberg Residencia, a project sponsored by the Intelligence Bureau Employees Cooperative Housing Society (IBECHS). An annual general meeting has been convened on December 27, 2025, to seek members’ approval for the proposed merger.
CDA, reacting as regulator, has opposed the move and issued a notice to the management committee, warning that no such agreement may be executed without prior approval from the authority. The notice states that the 543 kanals transferred for public amenities now stand vested in CDA, while 135 kanals remain mortgaged and cannot be subjected to any alteration.
When contacted, CDA Director Housing Societies Ijaz Ahmed Shaikh confirmed that the authority has stopped J&KCHS from entering into any agreement, adding that the Islamabad High Court has also barred revisions in the layout plan and directed CDA to ensure compliance.
“We have also intimated the Registrar Cooperative Societies, Islamabad, about this illegal move by J&KCHS,” he said.
On the other hand, Punjab MPA and chairman of the J&KCHS management committee, Zia Ullah Shah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, termed the CDA notice “illogical,” arguing that the society’s regulator is the Registrar Cooperative Societies, not CDA.
He said that if the Registrar Cooperative has no objection to the merger, CDA has no authority to obstruct it.
“We are proceeding strictly in accordance with the law, and the merger is the mandate of our members,” he maintained. “This step will guarantee availability of plots to members who have been waiting for nearly two decades.”
He added that the merger would be mutually beneficial for both J&KCHS and IBECHS, as the two societies hold inter-locked land parcels in the same area and were unable to move forward independently.
“Our members will finally receive their plots, while IBECHS will be able to consolidate its acquired land making this a win-win situation for both societies,” he said.
The registrar co-operative housing society was approached but he was unavailable for comments till filing of this story.
