Most people in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have heard of DHA by now, and Gandhara City is the reason it’s back in conversation again. Officially called DHA Phase 9, this is the ninth residential phase launched by the Defence Housing Authority in the twin cities, and it’s being developed jointly by the Army Welfare Trust and Habib Rafiq Private Limited, the same company behind Capital Smart City.
The society sits right along the M-2 Motorway and has been designed on a large scale, with plots starting from 5 Marla and going up to a full Kanal. Sales opened officially in April 2025, and since then it’s picked up a fair bit of interest, partly because of who’s behind it and partly because the entry price is still relatively low compared to what’s happening in neighbouring societies.
If you’re someone who wants the DHA name attached to your investment, but doesn’t want to pay Phase 1 or Phase 2 prices to get it, this is roughly where Gandhara fits into the picture. It’s early, the site is still being developed, but the fundamentals, location, backing, and master planning are already in place.
DHA Gandhara is a joint venture between the Army Welfare Trust and Habib Rafiq Pvt Ltd, usually shortened to AWT and HRL in property circles. AWT works under the Ministry of Defence and has been involved in DHA developments across the country for years, so this isn’t new territory for them. HRL, on the other hand, is known for Capital Smart City and Smart City Lahore, two projects that gave them a reputation for actually finishing what they announce, which matters a lot in this industry.
Day to day development and oversight is handled by DHA Islamabad, while the actual master planning was handed over to Surbana Jurong, a Singapore based urban planning firm with a long list of large scale township projects to their name internationally. That’s a fairly serious credential for a Pakistani housing society, and it’s one of the reasons Gandhara’s layout looks more considered than a lot of the newer schemes coming up around it.
DHA Gandhara is a joint venture between the Army Welfare Trust and Habib Rafiq Pvt Ltd, usually shortened to AWT and HRL in property circles. AWT works under the Ministry of Defence and has been involved in DHA developments across the country for years, so this isn’t new territory for them. HRL, on the other hand, is known for Capital Smart City and Smart City Lahore, two projects that gave them a reputation for actually finishing what they announce, which matters a lot in this industry.
Day to day development and oversight is handled by DHA Islamabad, while the actual master planning was handed over to Surbana Jurong, a Singapore based urban planning firm with a long list of large scale township projects to their name internationally. That’s a fairly serious credential for a Pakistani housing society, and it’s one of the reasons Gandhara’s layout looks more considered than a lot of the newer schemes coming up around it.
One of the strongest arguments for Gandhara is simply where it sits. The society is located right off the M-2 Motorway, close to Chakri Road, which means getting to either Islamabad or Rawalpindi doesn’t take the kind of detour you’d expect from a phase this far out. It also shares a border with Capital Smart City’s Overseas Prime 2 block and sits near Qurtaba City and Faisal Town Phase 2, so it’s part of a stretch of Islamabad that’s seeing a lot of development activity right now, not an isolated project sitting on its own.
For anyone who travels often, or has family flying in from abroad, the airport connection is probably the most useful thing to know. Here’s roughly how far the main landmarks are from the site:
Rawalpindi Ring Road: About 5 minutes
Islamabad International Airport: About 7 minutes
Chakri Interchange: Around 10 minutes
Srinagar Highway: Around 22 minutes
Fateh Jang-Tarnol Interchange: About 25 minutes
Faisal Masjid: Roughly 25 minutes
Saddar Rawalpindi: Roughly 25 minutes
Pakistan Monument: About 30 minutes
Saddar Railway Station: About 30 minutes
Pir Sohawa: Around 40 minutes
NH-5 / G.T. Road: Around 40 minutes
Islamabad Expressway: About 45 minutes
These are approximate drive times and can shift a bit depending on traffic, but they give a fair sense of how central the location actually is.
Gandhara isn’t sitting in an empty pocket of land. It’s surrounded by a mix of other societies and landmarks that have their own pull, which tends to work in a project’s favour:
Capital Smart City
Overseas Prime 2
Faisal Town Phase 2
Rawalpindi Ring Road
New Islamabad International Airport
DHA Phase 2
DHA Phase 6
DHA Phase 7
Blue World City
RUDN Enclave
Being this close to Capital Smart City in particular has helped Gandhara’s profile, since a lot of investors already tracking that project have started looking at Gandhara as the next logical option in the area.
Here’s the honest picture right now. DHA hasn’t released a full, official payment plan for Gandhara yet, the project is still early in its development cycle, and a structured instalment schedule is expected once more of the groundwork is complete. In the meantime, the plots being sold are pre-launch, which usually means better pricing than what you’ll see once the formal launch happens.
As things stand, a 1 Kanal plot is being offered at a pre launch price of PKR 1.55 crore, or PKR 74.5 lacs if you’re paying in a lump sum. That lump sum rate is only available on a limited number of plots, so it tends to move quickly once someone actually checks pricing with our team. Smaller sizes, 5 Marla and 10 Marla, are priced proportionately lower, but since the formal plan hasn’t been published, we’d rather give you an accurate, current quote over the phone or on WhatsApp than post a number here that might be outdated by the time you read it.
If a full installment based payment plan interests you more than a one time payment, let us know and we’ll update you the moment DHA releases it officially.
Residential Plots Residential plots in Gandhara start at 5 Marla and go up to 1 Kanal, following DHA’s usual sizing, 25 by 50 feet for 5 Marla, 35 by 70 feet for 10 Marla, and 50 by 90 feet for a full Kanal. That spread covers most buyers, whether you’re a young family looking for something manageable or someone planning a bigger house down the line.
Commercial Plots Commercial plots are also available, and given the society’s position right along the motorway, they’re a reasonable option for anyone thinking of opening a shop, an office, or a small business once the area develops further. DHA has kept these plots in sizes that suit different kinds of setups rather than a single fixed format.
A few of the things planned for the society include a mosque, a main boulevard, dedicated parking areas, a community club, commercial plazas, a health and fitness club, wide carpeted roads, a proper sewage system, round the clock security, and uninterrupted access to electricity, gas, and water. None of this is unusual for a DHA project, but it’s worth listing out because it’s what separates a planned society from an unplanned one where these things get added, if at all, years later
Booking a plot in Gandhara isn’t complicated, but you will need to have a few documents ready before you sit down with our team:
A copy of your CNIC, or NICOP if you’re an overseas Pakistani Passport sized photographs A copy of your next of kin’s CNIC Proof of your booking payment
If you’re based abroad and can’t visit in person, we can walk you through the process over a call or WhatsApp and handle most of the paperwork remotely. It’s fairly common for overseas clients to book this way.
Gandhara is DHA’s ninth phase in Islamabad, coming after eight phases that are already up and running in various stages of completion. Site development is currently underway, and the pace has been reasonably steady since the official launch in 2025. We keep this section updated as new milestones happen, so it’s worth checking back if you’re following the project closely, or just messaging us directly since we usually know before it’s posted anywhere.
There isn’t one single reason people are looking at this project, it’s more a combination of things lining up at the same time. The location next to the M-2 and close to the airport genuinely does save time. The fact that DHA and AWT are behind it removes a lot of the trust issues that come with newer, unbranded societies. And because it’s still early, the pricing hasn’t caught up to where it will likely be once the project is closer to completion.
None of that guarantees returns, no property investment does, but for buyers who’ve been priced out of the older DHA phases, Gandhara is one of the more reasonable ways back in.
This website is operated by Taz Consultants, a private real estate marketing firm. It is not the official website of DHA, DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi, or any DHA authority. We provide property information and marketing services only. Project details, prices, availability, and other information may change and should be verified independently.
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