The Generals are ready to conquer the Capital Hills
Special SAT Report

NEW YORK: Pakistan's well known spy agency, the ISI, is ready to conquer a major hilly area, within Pakistan, the picturesque Margalla Hills overlooking the Capital City, Islamabad.

Under the garb of national security and protecting the military government, soon influential Generals will be enjoying the lofty hills for their residences, overlooking the entire city.

According to sources in President Musharraf’s delegation to New York, ISI had almost forced a frightened woman Federal Minister for Environment, Barrister Shahida Jamil, to allot 100 acres of land in the Margalla Hills National Park, one of the big attractions of the capital city.

The agency wants to construct a new and “safe” Headquarter as well as, quite intriguingly, a housing colony for its officers. An official summary generated by Barrister Jamil’s ministry has been sent to President Pervez Musharraf, for an urgent decision on his return from USA. Approval is almost obvious.

The ISI bosses have argued with the Environment Ministry that they all were feeling very insecure in the existing building of ISI, located at Zero Point, on Aabpara Road in Islamabad. This building could be targeted by the al-Qaeda activists or Indian agents as it is located on one of the busiest road of Islamabad.

This argument ignores the fact that the ISI building has never been targeted in the past, although it was the hub of all the activity during the entire war against the Soviet Union and the civil war inside Afghanistan.

The Environment Minister secretly approved the summary for President Musharraf, before leaving to attend the summit on Environment in South Africa. The allotment of the Park land would be a clear violation of international laws governing the environment.

Anticipating attacks on its offices, or to build up a case for the lucrative Margalla Hills land, the ISI bosses have already closed one of the side roads linking the Zero Point-Aabpara road to Blue Area (commercial area) of the city and several armed personnel have been posted.

Initially the Environment Ministry response was one of alarm as giving away 100 acres on these hills would almost destroy the whole area as a natural park which needed to be preserved. When the ISI bosses learned about it, they immediately contacted the Minister and “convinced” her about the immediate need of 100 acres. The lady, naturally, could not resist the pressure.

Some concerned officials of her Ministry, risking both their lives and jobs, held a meeting with the Minister and told her about the disastrous impact of her decision on the environment of Islamabad and Margalla Hills. She was also informed about the negative international reaction.

She was also told that once the gates were opened, other government agencies will start moving in and soon the entire hill area will be grabbed by one government agency or the other.

The frightened Minister decided to get out of this dangerous game and a way out to save her skin was found. She asked the concerned staff to prepare a summary, giving both sides of the arguments, and send it to the President for the final decision.

Officials do not expect President Musharraf to turn down the proposal at a time when he was totally dependent on the ISI, both for his personal protection and advancement of his pro-US policies.

Thus the first Musharraf Government decision to destroy the serene environment of Islamabad, is just around the corner. And again, the Generals would grab the best pieces for their homes.

The ISI would practically start looking over every Islamabad resident then.