Will the real Saidpur please stand up?

While driving towards the 500 year-old recently revamped Saidpur village, one feels as though one has been taken back in time. Along the road are mud houses and stacks of hay, which lay out the traditional ambience of a village, with the Margalla Hills looming ahead. However, modern changes are very much in evidence, given the recent Rs. 400 million investment by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) of Islamabad.

Many of these changes, however, have not been welcomed by critics, preservationists and environmentalist. A major controversy regarding the project was (and continues to be) over the issue of preservation of the original state of Saidpur.

The idea was to restore the buildings to their original look with, according to Momin Agha, Head of Municipal Works of CDA, an “emphasis on preserving history and enhancing culture”. However, many question the way in which these buildings have been redone, stating that a lot of European touches have been introduced, such as a newly built gate built in apparently traditional Spanish style that welcomes you to the village, thus failing to sustain the traditional ambience.