Muzaffarbad – Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister Raja Farooq Haider has criticised the unchecked expansion and poor urban planning in Muzaffarabad, saying successive governments failed to enforce building restrictions and protect areas vulnerable to earthquakes and floods.
Speaking in an interview, Haider said that during his tenure as prime minister, he had ordered restrictions on the buying and selling of land in parts of Muzaffarabad where construction posed serious risks.
He said areas identified by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as unsafe for construction were later developed despite warnings about steep slopes and seismic risks.
“I put the commissioner there, I put the DC there. Two commissioners came to me, two DCs came to me—three came—and I said, ‘Put a ban on this, keep people out,’” Haider said.
He admitted that the government failed to stop illegal and unsafe construction, saying powerful interests within the revenue system resisted restrictions.
Haider also highlighted the danger posed by settlements along Chehla Nullah, warning that a flash flood or cloudburst could cause massive loss of life.
“If there is a flash flood in this nullah and a cloudburst occurs upstream, they will not even know at night. Their dead bodies will not even be found downstream,” he said.
The former prime minister said Muzaffarabad’s original post-earthquake planning included restrictions on building heights, but those rules have not been effectively enforced.
“It had been decided that buildings would not be more than two stories, but four-story and five-story buildings are being constructed. There is no one to ask,” he said.
Haider also criticised the city’s inadequate sewage and water infrastructure, saying some projects built after the 2005 earthquake failed to address the city’s long-term needs.
He said major public buildings, including the President House and Prime Minister House, were constructed inside the city despite his recommendation to locate them outside Muzaffarabad.
“I went to Mr. Majeed, the prime minister, and said, ‘Sir, do not build it here… Build them outside. Everything will be easier there,’” he recalled.
According to Haider, the Greater Water Supply Scheme and several other post-earthquake projects also remain incomplete, while schools and health facilities in rural areas continue to suffer from a shortage of funds.
He said the rising cost of construction has made it increasingly difficult for the AJK government to rebuild damaged or missing public infrastructure.
“According to the PWD rate, a two-room primary school costs 13 million rupees,” Haider said, contrasting it with the much lower cost of construction through the Local Government system in the past.
He said the unresolved funding gap has particularly affected schools, dispensaries and other public facilities in the districts of Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Rawalakot.
Haider also blamed a lack of institutional ownership for delays in reconstruction, saying officials were often reluctant to approve projects because they feared being held responsible if something went wrong.
“No one took ownership, and because of that, the matter in Muzaffarabad could not be resolved,” he said.
Reflecting on his own tenure, Haider acknowledged that governments, including his own, failed to adequately address the city’s growing urban and environmental challenges.
“As prime minister, I failed,” he said, while arguing that effective urban planning, enforcement of building codes and completion of basic infrastructure remain essential to making Muzaffarabad safer and more liveable.
