ISLAMABAD: The midnight police operation at Islamabad’s One Constitution Avenue on April 30 was triggered by a collision of legal and security crises, investigators and court records show. While the Capital Development Authority cited a court-backed lease cancellation, security sources point to surveillance risks exposed during the April 12 US-Iran talks at Serena Hotel.
On April 30, Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar dismissed BNP Company’s petition against the Capital Development Authority’s lease cancellation. CDA argued BNP defaulted on Rs 17.5 billion owed for the 13.5-acre plot since 2005, paying only Rs 2.9b — about 16.6%. The IHC ruling gave CDA legal grounds to reclaim the 22-storey twin towers.
Within hours, CDA and police arrived at the building. Residents were told to vacate by midnight. “Police were banging on doors at 1am,” said Nadeem Haque, a tenant and former PIDE vice chancellor. Some doors were reportedly broken.
The eviction came just weeks after US Vice President JD Vance led a delegation to Islamabad for US-Iran ceasefire negotiations on April 12. The talks were held at Serena Hotel, in the Diplomatic Enclave.
According to journalist Talat Hussain, who can be seen defending video footage captured from One Constitution Avenue during the talks revealed “clear views of the adjacent Serena Hotel and even interior angles of foreign embassies”. He called it a “serious breach of diplomatic confidentiality” that created a “tangible security risk”.
امریکا ایران مذاکرات کے دوران اسی بلڈنگ سے امریکی اور ایرانی وفود کی ویڈیوز اور تصاویر بنائی گئیں۔
طلعت حسین کے مطابق اس عمارت سے نہ صرف سرینا ہوٹل بلکہ ڈپلومیٹک انکلیو کے حساس حصے بھی واضح نظر آتے ہیں۔اگر یہ بات درست ہے تو سوال صرف بلڈنگ کا نہیں، قومی سلامتی کا ہے۔
کارروائی صرف… pic.twitter.com/Liz2jd2oK6— Raza (@SocialDigitally) May 1, 2026
One Constitution Avenue overlooks Serena and parts of the Diplomatic Enclave. With foreign delegations in the Red Zone, Pakistan had guaranteed “foolproof security”. A civilian building with sightlines into sensitive locations undermined that.
Even before the talks, President Trump told NY Post that JD Vance might not attend “due to security concerns”.
Apartment owners say they bought flats after CDA issued building approvals and NOCs. “The dispute was between the CDA and the developer,” residents argued in court. Many had no warning before the midnight operation.
Government Pulls Back — For Now
Facing backlash over the optics of storming a luxury building at midnight, PM Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee on May 1 and barred CDA from further action for one week. The committee will hear all parties.
CDA also halted land-retrieval drives elsewhere, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi saying there’s “no justification” for acting against informal settlements if action against “the affluent class” is paused.
Nadeem sb conveniently ignoring the fact that BNP has paid only 2 billion to CDA out of Rs.17.5B dues in 21 years. It violated the city’s masterplan and converted a plot reserved for hotel into residential towers. It declared its inability to pay the amount in a 1/2 https://t.co/FBri61MgJ3
— Muhammad Ishfaque (@TMChowk) May 1, 2026
So What Actually Triggered It?
Officially: Court order + lease default = CDA enforcement.
Unofficially: The building’s strategic location became a liability during the highest-profile diplomatic talks Pakistan has hosted in years. The “security breach” claims suggest authorities concluded they couldn’t risk a private building with sightlines into the Red Zone during sensitive negotiations.
Whether the lease dispute was the real reason, or just legal cover for a security-driven takeover, is now the central question the PM’s committee must answer.
