British World War I monument demolished for housing society in Islamabad

A British World War I memorial has been razed to pave the way for a housing society in Islamabad.

According to a report, the memorial stood atop a mound roughly 40 feet high, surrounded by cleared land intended for a commercial development tied to a new housing society.

The Department of Archaeology and Museums (Doam) had previously blocked the housing authority from relocating the monument. Yet officials visiting the site on Tuesday reported that the mound had been flattened and the memorial dismantled.

Photographs shared by Doam showed scattered blocks of the memorial lying on newly levelled soil.

The monument was originally built by the British Empire after 1914 to honour local soldiers who fought in the First World War. It had stood on Kuri Road near Rehara village as a symbol of recognition and respect, but it no longer exists.

Six months ago, developers, including the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and a private housing scheme, had sought a no-objection certificate from Doam to move the memorial to a new roundabout about 100 meters from its original location. CDA had argued that the roundabout could be named after the memorial, “thereby perpetuating its legacy and significance.”

Doam rejected the proposal, stating that relocating the monument would undermine its purpose of commemorating the sacrifices of soldiers from villages like Rehara.