CDA Lists 143 Illegal Housing Schemes in Islamabad, Plus 13 Illegal Extensions

CDA has published a public notice naming 143 private housing schemes in Islamabad that have no approval from the authority, plus 13 approved schemes whose extensions are illegal. The notice appeared on CDA's website on 3 November 2026. It warns buyers not to purchase plots in any of them.

The list is much longer than the one CDA showed a month ago. When we read CDA's illegal schemes list on 2 October 2026 for our guide on checking if an Islamabad society is approved, it had 98 entries. The new notice covers all five zones of Islamabad and names each scheme with its area or road.

CDA names 143 schemes with no approval and 13 illegal extensions

The notice says 143 private housing schemes have no CDA approval or sit in restricted areas, yet still advertise and sell plots. A second list names 13 schemes that CDA approved once, but whose sponsors extended them without permission.

CDA's Planning Wing issued the notice under sections 49-C, 46 and 46-B of the CDA Ordinance 1960, the ICT Zoning Regulation 1992, and clauses 40 to 42 of the 2023 regulation for private housing schemes in Zones 2, 4 and 5. It is signed by the Director General (Spatial Planning) and Director Housing Societies.

CDA says a housing scheme needs two things before it can be launched: an approved layout plan (LOP), which is the map of plots, roads and parks, and a No Objection Certificate (NOC). The schemes on this list have neither, CDA says, and some are also advertising without its permission.

The 143 count and our own count differ

We counted the numbered entries in the five zone lists and got 154, not 143. A few names appear twice. Babar Enclave is listed in both Zone 3 and Zone 4, and Islamabad Green Paradise appears twice in Zone 4 with different locations. Neelam Valley and Neelum Valley are both on Lehtrar Road. We use CDA's figure of 143 in this article, and the difference is likely repeats and spelling variants.

Zone 4 holds 105 of the listed schemes

Most illegal schemes on CDA's list are in Zone 4, along Lehtrar Road, Simly Dam Road, Park Road and the Murree Road near Bhara Kahu. Zone 1 has 20 entries in sectors H-13, H-15, H-17 and D-14.

Some names readers will recognise from the Zone 1 list are Abdullah Town, Buraq Valley and Shifa International Housing Society in H-17, and Capital Hills Residencia and Paradise Valley in D-14. Zone 2 includes Faisal Margalla City in A-17 and Margalla North Housing Scheme in C-17. Zone 5 includes Bahria Safari Villas II and III and National Police Foundation, O-9.

Thirteen approved schemes built illegal extensions

CDA's second list covers schemes that do hold an approval for their original area. Their extensions, meaning land added beyond the approved layout plan, have no approval. A plot in an extension is not covered by the original scheme's NOC.

The 13 extensions CDA names are:

• Khayaban-e-Kashmir-I (Extension), Sector G-15, Zone 2
• Ministry of Interior Employees Housing Scheme (Extension), Sector G-16, Zone 2
• Bahria Enclave (Extension) and Bahria Enclave Farm Housing Scheme (Extension), Zone 4
• Gulberg Greens (Extension), Kashmir Gardens (Extension) and Naval Anchorage (Extension), Zone 4
• Bahria Phases 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 (Extension), and Bahria Phases 3-E and 4 (Extension), Zone 5
• Bahria Garden City (Extension), Jinnah Garden-I (Extension), Naval Anchorage (Extension) and Soan Gardens (Extension), Zone 5

So if a dealer offers a plot in one of these names, ask whether it is inside the approved area or in the extension. Ask for the plot number on the approved layout plan. Our guide on buying a plot in an Islamabad private scheme covers the vetted allotment letter you should get.

CDA lists sealing, demolition and criminal cases as possible action

CDA warns sponsors to stop marketing and building, and to apply for layout plans and NOCs. If they do not, the notice says CDA may seal offices, remove works, demolish buildings, block access roads and refer cases to investigating agencies.

The notice also asks other bodies to act:

1. The Press Information Department should not allow advertisements of unapproved schemes.
2. PEMRA and PTA should block websites of schemes launched before approval.
3. IESCO and SNGPL should give electricity and gas only to approved schemes and buildings.
4. Property portals and marketing agencies must show approved layout plans and avoid misleading campaigns.

A separate CDA notice dated 23 October 2026, posted on CDA's site on 2 November, says the Planning Wing has forwarded the cases of about 40 housing schemes for sealing of their offices. Those cases are for breaking approved layout plans or extending without approval. We reported an earlier round in CDA's sealing notices to 7 schemes in October.

Check any Islamabad scheme on CDA's site before you pay

Before paying a token amount, find the scheme on CDA's list of approved private housing schemes and check that it is not on the illegal list. A scheme missing from this notice is not automatically legal, CDA says.

CDA's notice makes that point itself: any illegal scheme left off the list "inadvertently" can still face action. Follow these steps:

1. Open cda.gov.pk and go to Housing Schemes, then Private Housing Schemes.
2. Find the scheme by name and check that its NOC is issued, not just "under process".
3. Open Illegal Private Housing Schemes and search for the same name.
4. Ask the seller for the plot's place on the approved layout plan, and check it is not in an extension.
5. Call CDA's Directorate of Housing Societies on 051-9252636 if anything is unclear.

If you have already paid for a plot in a scheme on this list, keep every receipt. Our guide on what to do after paying for a plot in an illegal Islamabad scheme lists the steps.

Common questions

How many illegal housing schemes are there in Islamabad?

CDA's notice of 3 November 2026 names 143 private schemes with no approval, plus 13 approved schemes with illegal extensions. We counted 154 numbered entries because some names repeat.

Is Bahria Town Islamabad on the illegal list?

CDA lists the extensions of several Bahria phases, Bahria Enclave and Bahria Garden City as illegal. It also lists Bahria Safari Villas II and III in Zone 5 as schemes without approval.

Which zone has the most illegal schemes?

Zone 4, with 105 entries, mostly along Lehtrar Road, Simly Dam Road and Park Road.

Can I get an electricity connection in an illegal scheme?

CDA has asked IESCO and SNGPL to serve only approved schemes. It is a request in the notice, so ask IESCO directly before you build.

What number do I call to check a housing scheme with CDA?

The notice gives 051-9252636 and 0334-5223077 for the Director General (Spatial Planning) and Director Housing Societies.

Is a scheme legal if it is not on CDA's list?

No, not automatically. CDA says a scheme left off by mistake can still face action. Check that it is on the approved list with an issued NOC.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read CDA's public notice under sections 49-C, 46 and 46-B of the CDA Ordinance on cda.gov.pk on 5 November 2026. The site dates it 3 November 2026. We also read CDA's notice of 23 October 2026 on sealing of offices, posted on 2 November. The zone counts in this article are our own count of the numbered entries. The 143 figure is CDA's. To check a plot file inside CDA's own sectors, use CDA online property verification.