International expert on urban development, sustainable architecture offers services on voluntary basis

ISLAMABAD: In a new twist to the ongoing tussle between the elected government and top bureaucrats for the control over the affairs of Capital Development Authority (CDA), the federal government has decided to seek the services of international experts on urban planning and sustainable architecture for developing the new Islamabad master plan according to modern needs and techniques.

A well-informed source told Pakistan Today that a major breakthrough was made on Monday as the world’s only PhD on the Capital’s master plan, who happens to be a Pakistani national and has been serving in Brussels for over 20 years now, has agreed to help the federal government revive Islamabad’s Master Plan on a voluntary basis.

According to the source, Professor Dr Ahmed Zaib Khan, a top expert on sustainable urban development, has offered his services to the federal government on a voluntary basis for developing a new master plan for the Capital based on modern, sustainable architecture and urbanism trends.

Professor Dr Khan is serving as professor of sustainable architecture and urbanism at Université Libre de Bruxelles, and is in Pakistan for vacations these days. He has experience in developing master plans for urban development in the European Union (EU), Africa, and Latin America.

The source said that the federal government had finally decided to break the shackles of bureaucracy and entice top brains working abroad to help diversify the country into ‘Naya Pakistan’.

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Talking to Pakistan Today, Dr Ahmed Zaib Khan said that he had called on Shehryar Khan Afridi to offer his services for developing the new master plan and would also like to brief Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan about his plan to diversify the Capital into a modern city, model of which could later be replicated all across the country.

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