Bahria Town (Private) Limited (Urdu: بحریہ ٹاؤن) is an Islamabad-based privately owned real-estate development company which owns, develops and manages properties across Pakistan.[2][3]
It established its first gated community in Islamabad.[4] Its second gated community opened in Lahore. In 2015, it launched Bahria Town Karachi, the largest of its gated communities, while Bahria Enclave Islamabad (launched in 2013) is the smallest of them.[5][6] 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).[7] The under-construction Bahria Town Karachi spans over 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres), making it the largest privately owned residential community in the country.[8][9]
The companies subsidiary's include the Mall of Lahore and the under-construction Mall of Islamabad, a 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 building in Pakistan.[10][11][12][13] The group is also the developer of Grand Jamia Mosque, Lahore, which is the seventh largest in the world and is constructing the third largest mosque in Karachi.[14][15][16] The under-construction Rafi Cricket Stadium, when completed, will also be the largest in the country.[17][18] In 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.[19]
ACE International Academy is also a project of Bahria Town.
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.[20][21] Bahria gated communities are home to private schools including those operated by the company, private hospitals, hotels, and commercial avenues.[22] Bahria has been featured by several international news agencies.[23]
Communities
Parks in Bahria Town Lahore
Bahria Town Islamabad
The original 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. As of 2022, the communities have a three-hour load shedding schedule.[22][24]
Bahria Enclave
Bahria Enclave is a housing scheme launched by Bahria Town in July 2011. It is located approximately 8 km from Chak Shahzad, the Park Road & the Kuri Road with access from Srinagar Highway, Lehtrar Road, and Islamabad Highway. On January 31, 2012, Capital Development Authority approved the plan for development of Jinnah Avenue in Zone-IV.[25] The construction project of four-lane road would link main Kuri Road to Kuri Model Village and was awarded to Bahria Town.[26]
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.[27]
Bahria Town main entrance at Canal Bank Road Lahore
The location of Bahria Town Peshawar is to be located at Charsadda Road Peshawar near the M-2 Expressway.[31] Bahria Town will be acquiring 100,000 kanals of land.
Bahria Town's CEO Malik Riaz said the purpose for building a Bahria Town in Peshawar is to be provide better homes for the residents of Peshawar and is to be the first one in the region. [29]
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 Pakistan worth over $600 million. All properties are under-construction as of 2016.[19][39][40]
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. GlobalPost claimed that in 2013, Bahria houses some 100,000 people in total.[41]Newsweek calls it as Pakistan's "Gateway to Paradise".[42] On October 6, 2011, Los Angeles Times refereed Bahria as "functioning state within a non-functioning one".[43] 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.[43]
Controversies
Bahria has been subject to controversies, it is referred to as a symbol of inequality and blamed for illegal encroachment of forests.[43]
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.[44]Ayesha Siddiqa, a civilian military analyst and author of Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy,[45] alleges that those links have allowed him to acquire land, in some cases returning a percentage to senior officers as developed plots.[43]
Chief Executive of Bahria Town, Ali Riaz Malik, has submitted his statement regarding Arsalan Iftikhar (son of Chief Justice of PakistanIftikhar 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.[46]
In April 2016, Malik Riaz Hussain's son, Ahmed Ali Riaz Malik, was named in the Panama Papers.[47]
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.[48][49]
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.[50]
US$3.4 billion[1] (2021)
