ISLAMABAD: A British-era World War I memorial has been demolished in Islamabad to facilitate the development of a housing society, sparking concern over the destruction of historically significant heritage sites.
According to reports, the monument was located atop a mound approximately 40 feet high on Kuri Road near Rehara village, surrounded by land that had been cleared for a commercial project linked to a new housing scheme.
Officials from the Department of Archaeology and Museums (Doam) confirmed during a site visit on Tuesday that the mound had been flattened and the memorial dismantled, despite earlier efforts by the department to block its relocation.
Photographs shared by Doam showed scattered stone blocks of the memorial lying on freshly levelled soil, confirming that the structure no longer exists.
The monument was originally erected by the British Empire after 1914 to honour local soldiers who fought in the First World War. For decades, it stood as a symbol of recognition and remembrance for the sacrifices made by soldiers from nearby villages, including Rehara.
Approximately six months ago, developers — including the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and a private housing scheme — had sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) from Doam to relocate the monument to a roundabout roughly 100 metres from its original site. At the time, the CDA argued that naming the roundabout after the memorial would help preserve its legacy and historical importance.
However, Doam rejected the proposal, maintaining that relocating the monument would undermine its commemorative purpose, which was to honour soldiers from the area where the memorial had originally been built.
The demolition has raised fresh questions about heritage protection, regulatory oversight, and the preservation of historically significant landmarks amid rapid urban development in the federal capital.
