Post by Areff on Mar 19, 2012 21:10:25 GMT
US Embassy in Islamabad Being Expanded
Submitted by Aurangzeb on March 19, 2012 – 11:00 am
ISLAMABAD: Amid apparently strained relations between Pakistan and United States, a mini-America is in the making in the heart of Islamabad.
After controversies of Blackwater, Raymond Davis, the hiring of dozens of houses in Islamabad for CIA agents, unlawful action including bashing of Pakistanis at the hands of Americans, issuance of unchecked visas, open display of arms by US diplomats/officials, the May 2 Abbottabad attack and then the Salala attack; the government of Pakistan has responded by allowing the US embassy to extend the embassy beyond all imagination.
It may sound impossible but the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has conveyed on January 10, 2012 its approval to the US embassy for the construction of 16 new buildings with covered area of 1,734,212.23 sq ft (1.7m).
These buildings include some huge structures and many multi-storey buildings. To be precise, the approval of building plans in respect of US embassy as approved by the CDA include basement plus seven-storey new office building measuring 331,424.10 sq ft; seven-storey new office annex measuring 148,432.30 sq ft, single-storey guard house measuring 4,337.85 sq ft; three-storey support annex office measuring 79,252.20 sq ft; basement plus two-storey residence building measuring 30,747,33 sq ft; basement plus ground utility building measuring 39,747.33 sq ft; two basement plus four-storey consular annex building measuring 127,062 sq ft; eight-storey plus Pont house measuring 164,695 sq ft; eight-storey residence building measuring 225,404.90 sq ft; another eight-storey residence building measuring 222,687.20 sq ft; four-storey recreation building measuring 89,079.75 sq ft; two basement plus ground parking building measuring 128,991.60 sq ft; single-storey guard house measuring 7,189.96 sq ft; single-storey another guard house measuring 10,907.50 sq ft; single-storey PCAC-2 measuring 2,775.17 sq ft; and one basement plus two WHE building measuring 122,125.50 sq ft.
Deputy Director, Building Control Section-II of the CDA has conveyed the approval of the above building plans to Sandra M Muench, Management Counsellor of the US embassy.
According to news reports, construction work is already in full swing to construct a mini-America in the heart of Islamabad. According to a press report, the construction work was started on the embassy’s existing plot and additional land it acquired last year in the Diplomatic Enclave without paying its cost — Rs1.7billion — to the local authorities and prior to the approval of the construction plan — which though has now been approved by the CDA.
US embassy spokesman Mark Strouh, when contacted, denied that there is any mini city being constructed by the US embassy. He explained that the US embassy is constructing new embassy building as the existing one is 30 years old.
He said that there are no secret bunkers being constructed there. He also denied that there is anything sinister going on in there. “We have nothing to hide,” he said, adding that it’s all being done with the approval of CDA.
According to a CDA official, the US embassy had submitted its construction plans on the additional land after the start of the construction. The US embassy, which already was spread over a huge area, had recently acquired additional acres of land from the government of Pakistan in the Diplomatic Enclave.
The expansion of the US embassy started following Pakistani media campaign focusing the activities of Blackwater and the reported hiring of hundreds of houses in the residential sectors of Islamabad to accommodate such CIA agents. Officials, however, kept denying such reports in strongest words.
Source: The News
Submitted by Aurangzeb on March 19, 2012 – 11:00 am
ISLAMABAD: Amid apparently strained relations between Pakistan and United States, a mini-America is in the making in the heart of Islamabad.
After controversies of Blackwater, Raymond Davis, the hiring of dozens of houses in Islamabad for CIA agents, unlawful action including bashing of Pakistanis at the hands of Americans, issuance of unchecked visas, open display of arms by US diplomats/officials, the May 2 Abbottabad attack and then the Salala attack; the government of Pakistan has responded by allowing the US embassy to extend the embassy beyond all imagination.
It may sound impossible but the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has conveyed on January 10, 2012 its approval to the US embassy for the construction of 16 new buildings with covered area of 1,734,212.23 sq ft (1.7m).
These buildings include some huge structures and many multi-storey buildings. To be precise, the approval of building plans in respect of US embassy as approved by the CDA include basement plus seven-storey new office building measuring 331,424.10 sq ft; seven-storey new office annex measuring 148,432.30 sq ft, single-storey guard house measuring 4,337.85 sq ft; three-storey support annex office measuring 79,252.20 sq ft; basement plus two-storey residence building measuring 30,747,33 sq ft; basement plus ground utility building measuring 39,747.33 sq ft; two basement plus four-storey consular annex building measuring 127,062 sq ft; eight-storey plus Pont house measuring 164,695 sq ft; eight-storey residence building measuring 225,404.90 sq ft; another eight-storey residence building measuring 222,687.20 sq ft; four-storey recreation building measuring 89,079.75 sq ft; two basement plus ground parking building measuring 128,991.60 sq ft; single-storey guard house measuring 7,189.96 sq ft; single-storey another guard house measuring 10,907.50 sq ft; single-storey PCAC-2 measuring 2,775.17 sq ft; and one basement plus two WHE building measuring 122,125.50 sq ft.
Deputy Director, Building Control Section-II of the CDA has conveyed the approval of the above building plans to Sandra M Muench, Management Counsellor of the US embassy.
According to news reports, construction work is already in full swing to construct a mini-America in the heart of Islamabad. According to a press report, the construction work was started on the embassy’s existing plot and additional land it acquired last year in the Diplomatic Enclave without paying its cost — Rs1.7billion — to the local authorities and prior to the approval of the construction plan — which though has now been approved by the CDA.
US embassy spokesman Mark Strouh, when contacted, denied that there is any mini city being constructed by the US embassy. He explained that the US embassy is constructing new embassy building as the existing one is 30 years old.
He said that there are no secret bunkers being constructed there. He also denied that there is anything sinister going on in there. “We have nothing to hide,” he said, adding that it’s all being done with the approval of CDA.
According to a CDA official, the US embassy had submitted its construction plans on the additional land after the start of the construction. The US embassy, which already was spread over a huge area, had recently acquired additional acres of land from the government of Pakistan in the Diplomatic Enclave.
The expansion of the US embassy started following Pakistani media campaign focusing the activities of Blackwater and the reported hiring of hundreds of houses in the residential sectors of Islamabad to accommodate such CIA agents. Officials, however, kept denying such reports in strongest words.
Source: The News