Islamabad: The federal government is considering converting the Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat building into a luxury five-star hotel as part of efforts to address Islamabad’s shortage of international-standard hotel rooms ahead of major international events, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in 2027.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-level committee comprising the interior, housing and finance ministers and senior federal secretaries to examine the proposal. The committee is currently gathering information from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Estate Office, with its recommendations to be presented to the federal cabinet for final approval.
A preliminary technical assessment has found that the building could be retrofitted into a luxury hotel with approximately 128 guest rooms and 64 suites, along with a rooftop restaurant and penthouse facilities.
The proposal was presented to the prime minister by former CDA chairman Sohail Ashraf. CDA officials have confirmed that the authority had requested consideration of the building’s conversion into a hotel and that the prime minister subsequently formed the committee to examine the proposal.
The move comes as Islamabad prepares for the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting scheduled for October 2027. The event is expected to attract around 35 VVIPs and more than 3,000 accompanying foreign guests.
According to CDA officials, the capital requires around 4,000 international-standard hotel rooms for the SCO summit and other major international events. The authority has identified a shortfall of around 1,000 rooms meeting international standards and is encouraging the construction and expansion of hotel facilities to bridge the gap.
The proposed conversion of the Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat is therefore being considered as one of the measures to increase Islamabad’s high-end accommodation capacity before the 2027 events. The project, however, remains subject to the committee’s assessment and federal cabinet approval.
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