Bahria Town

Bahria Town (Private) Limited.[1][2] (Urdu: بحریہ ٹاؤن‎) is an Islamabad-based privately owned real-estate development company which owns, develops and manages properties across Pakistan.

This article is about the Islamabad and Rawalpindi based elite real-estate company. For the neighborhoods named Bahria Town see, see Bahria, Lahore and Bahria Town Karachi.
Bahria Town (Private) Limited
Private
IndustryReal estate, Gated community, Hospitality
FoundedJanuary 14, 1997 (1997-01-14) in Islamabad Zone V, Pakistan
FounderMalik Riaz
Headquarters
Islamabad, Federal, Pakistan
Key people
Malik Riaz, Chairman
Ahmed Ali Riaz Malik, CEO
ProductsTown
Commercial area
Plots
House
Villa
Restaurants
Hotel
Golf clubs
Hospitals
Number of employees
160,000 (2017)
Websitebahriatown.com

Founded in late-1990s, it established its first gated community exclusively developed for the elites in southern Islamabad and with some portions [Phase 8 and 9 (which also accommodate middle-class income families) ] in Rawalpindi, on the Grand Trunk Road, which by mid-2000s had expanded into nine phases divided into two compounds. [3] Its second gated community opened in Lahore, which is influenced by Greco-Roman culture and is built in Southern Lahore. In 2015, it launched the Bahria Town Karachi, the largest of its gated communities, while Bahria Enclave Islamabad (launched in 2013) is the smallest of them.[4][5] Most of these communities are large towns in their own right, its oldest community in Southern Islamabad spans over 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres).[6] The under-construction Bahria Town Karachi spans over 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres) and it is the largest privately owned residential community in the country.[7] Combined, its projects have the capacity to house over a million people.[8]

Apart from gated towns, the company owns several shopping complexes including the Mall of Lahore and the under-construction Mall of Islamabad, chain of cinemas under the brand of Cine Gold, a chain of supermarkets under the banner of Green Valley Hypermarket and skyscrapers including the Bahria Icon Tower, which is the tallest in Pakistan.[9][10][11][12] The group also is the developer of Grand Jamia Mosque, Lahore, which is the seventh largest in the world and is constructing the third largest mosque in Karachi.[13][14][15] The under-construction Rafi Cricket Stadium when completed will also be the largest in the country.[16][17] On November 2016, Bahria entered into a contract with Hyatt to develop four properties across Pakistan, including two golf resorts, worth combined $600 million. The properties would be owned by Bahria.[18]

Bahria projects usually house upper middle and high income Pakistanis, these communities have private security, ability to restrict access to non-residents and are energy independent from the national grid.[19][20] Bahria gated communities are home to private schools including those operate by the company, private hospitals, hotels and commercial avenues.[21] Bahria has been featured by international news agencies'[22] GlobalPost claimed that in 2013, Bahria houses some 100,000 people in Zone V, Islamabad alone.[23] Newsweek calls it as Pakistan's Gateway to Paradise.[24] On October 6, 2011, the Los Angeles Times referred to Bahria as a 'functioning state within a non-functioning one'.[25] Bahria has been subject to controversies, it is referred to as a symbol of inequality, blamed for illegal encroachment of forests and illegal alliance with military.[25]

Communities
Villas in Bahria Town Islamabad.
Eiffel Tower replica in Bahria Town Lahore
Parks in Bahria Town Lahore

Bahria Islamabad

The original project, the gated community has over 100,000 people and has series of projects. It is divided into various phases and smaller projects. Unlike other housing societies in Pakistan, Bahria produces its own electricity and sells it to its resident through the Bahria Town Electric Supply Company. Bahria Town projects in Islamabad and Lahore were running respectively 12 and 9 megawatts of generation units of their own. Bahria Town also has constructed 3 grid stations with its own resources and also provides underground lines to its residents. Along with DHA; It houses Top 1% of 200 million Pakistani Elite, thus there is no load shedding in Bahria Town projects.[26]

Bahria Islamabad

Bahria Enclave Islamabad is a housing scheme launched by Bahria Town in July 2011. It is located approximately 8 km (15 minutes) drive from Chak Shahzad, the Park Road & the Kuri Road with access from Kashmir Highway, Lehtrar Road & Islamabad Highway. On January 31, 2012, Capital Development Authority approved the plan for development of Jinnah Avenue in Zone-IV.[27] The construction project of four-lane road would link main Kuri Road to Kuri Model Village and is awarded to Bahria Town.[28]

Grand Jamia Masjid, Bahria Town Lahore

Bahria Town Lahore
Main article: Bahria, Lahore

It is a flagship gated community in Lahore. The community is home to the Grand Jamia Mosque, Lahore which is the seventh largest mosque in the world which has a total capacity of 70,000 people.[29]

Bahria Town main entrance at Canal Bank Road Lahore

Bahria Orchard Lahore

A separate low cost housing community named Bahria Orchard has also been established in Lahore which has a smaller area than Bahria Town Lahore.

Bahria Karachi
Main article: Bahria Town Karachi

Includes residential and commercial plots, Bahria apartments, Bahria homes and an exclusive block for overseas residents. It also include Bahria Sports City and Bahria Golf City. Situated on Karachi-Hyderabad super-highway. Bahria Town Karachi has earned a poor reputation after seven years of its establishment. Since the stakeholders who had invested in Bahria Town Karachi were subjected to forced possession and utility charges along-with additional unplanned Development Charges (which were later deferred after public pressure), still the refunds claims for non-existing plots are not duly processed by the Bahira Town's management[30].

Bahria Golf City

Under-construction golf themed gated community which includes an Hyatt Gold Resort.[31]

Shopping Malls
Shopping Malls Information
Mall of Lahore 60,000 m2 (650,000 sq ft) commercial space, houses over 70 stores
Mall of Islamabad Under-construction mixed-use high rise 25-story tower in Blue Area, Islamabad
Mall of Karachi Located within the Bahria Icon Tower in Karachi.

Skyscrapers
Name Height Details Timeline
Bahria Icon Tower[32] 300 m (980 ft) (62 floors) Tallest building in Pakistan, based on a 1.45-hectare plot in Clifton. Topped out
Opal 225, Karachi 45 floors Mixed use development, include apartments, office spaces, shopping mall and a five star hotel, Le Meridian Karachi. Services by RWDI.[33][34] End of 2019
Hoshang Pearl, Karachi 130 meters tall (31 floors) Residential tower.[35][36] 2019
Mall of Islamabad 25 floor Mixed-use high rise 25-story tower in Blue Area, Islamabad.[37] Topped out
Bahria Town Tower, Karachi 84 m (275 ft) (24 floors) Mixed-use, includes shopping mall and apartments.[38] Complete in 2017

Hospitality

On November 14, 2016, Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Bahria Town Group entered into agreement in Abu Dhabi to develop four properties in Pakistani worth over $600 million. All properties are under-construction as of 2016.[18][39][40]

Property Details[18]
Grand Hyatt Islamabad 400 guestrooms with 18-hole golf course located within Bahria Golf City designed by Beame Architectural Partnership.
Hyatt Regency Karachi 200 guestrooms golf resort with Pakistan's first night-lit 36-hole golf located within Bahria Town Karachi
Hyatt Regency Lahore 220 guestrooms hotel under-construction in Lahore.
Hyatt Regency Islamabad 165-bed hotel in Bahria Town Islamabad with 11,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.
Clock Tower Bahria Town Lahore

Recognition and awards

After success at national level, Bahria has been featured by international magazines and news agencies, referred to as the prosperous face of Pakistan. According to Emirates 24/7 Bahria Town is 'where Pakistan's new middle class takes refuge from the Taliban attacks and endless power cuts that plague the rest of the .'[22] GlobalPost claimed that in 2013, Bahria houses some 100,000 people in total.[23] Newsweek calls it as Pakistan's Gateway to Paradise.[24] On October 6, 2011, Los Angeles Times refereed Bahria as 'functioning state within a non-functioning one'.[25] Regardless of that Bahria has been subject to controversies, it is referred to as a symbol of inequality, blamed for illegal encroachment of forests and unholy alliance with military.[25]

Controversies

Bahria has been subject to controversies, it is referred to as a symbol of inequality, blamed for illegal encroachment of forests and unholy alliance with military.[25]

To begin with, the name 'Bahria' itself has been controversial and in 2018 a senior court in Pakistan ruled against the use of this name by the private owners of the project. Ayesha Siddiqa, a civilian military analyst and author of "Military Inc: Inside Pakistan Military Economy,"[41] alleges that those links have allowed him to acquire land, in some cases returning a percentage to senior officers as developed plots.[42] Chief Executive of Bahria Town, Ali Riaz Malik has submitted his statement regarding the Arsalan Iftikhar (son of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry) suo moto case in the Supreme Court of Pakistan that Bahria Town was not behind any allegations against Arsalan and that the court's proceedings were not aimed at investigating the affairs of Bahria Town. The written reply also said that if any statement were made against Bahria Town or against its administration, then the organisation would have the right to respond to it.[43]

In April 2016, Malik Riaz Hussain's son, Ahmed Ali Riaz Malik, was named in the Panama Papers.[44]

Dispute with Nayatel and CCP fine

In August 2016, a complaint from a resident of Bahria Town was forwarded to the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) which revealed that Bahria Town was deliberately preventing other fixed-line service providers from expanding into Bahria Town, and thus giving PTCL the majority of the market share in the housing society, it was also in violation of the Competition Act (2010) by abusing its dominant position and entering into a prohibited agreement.[45][46]

Six months later, CCP imposed a fine on Bahria Town of 2 million PKR for deliberately not issuing a NOC (No-Objection Certificate) to Nayatel in Phases 1 to 6.[47]

Bahria Town has been directed to work with Nayatel to lay down its fiber optic cable network in Phases 1 to 6.[48][49]

See also

References
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