Edhi Centre 'Closure' Row: Islamabad admin denies sealing Aabpara Office amid service disruption claims

ISLAMABAD: The district administration on Saturday denied reports that it had sealed an Edhi Foundation office in Aabpara, contradicting claims by the rescue service that its ambulance control room had been shut down.

In a statement, the administration clarified that no Edhi office had been sealed “at any point,” though it acknowledged that the control room in Aabpara was built on land owned by the Capital Development Authority (CDA). It added that while eviction notices had been issued, no enforcement action had yet been taken.

The clarification came after Edhi’s Islamabad zonal office said its “Edhi Centre (ambulance control room), established in Aabpara for the past 40 years, has been shut down by the administration.” The organisation warned that emergency services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi would remain suspended until an alternative location was provided.

Edhi further claimed that no prior notice or reason had been given for the closure, adding that rent for the premises had already been paid in advance, including for the next 11 months. It urged authorities to immediately address the situation.

Responding on X, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon termed the reports “baseless and misleading,” reiterating that no office had been sealed.

He explained that any temporary closures in the area were part of routine security measures during processions to maintain law and order, though no specific event was identified. He also cautioned the public against spreading unverified information.

In a separate statement, the administration maintained that only a control room—not a full office—existed at the site and that its lease agreement with Edhi, signed in 2000, had expired. Authorities said multiple notices had been issued for vacating the premises.

The administration added that an alternative site in H-8 had already been offered to Edhi, and the organisation had requested time until after Eid to relocate. It insisted that no action had yet been taken to forcibly vacate the premises and that reports of closure were first learned through the media.