RESIDENTS of Model Town Society (MTS) Monday protested against the presence of offices and safe houses of investigative agencies in the society, demanding the government immediately relocate these potential terrorist targets.

A large number of MTS residents visited the blast site where they criticized the MTS administration for allowing investigation agencies to make detention centres in Model Town. They also argued with the Lahore commissioner who was on a visit of the blast site. They asserted that Model Town was a residential colony but several intelligence agency offices, brothels, factories and government offices were operating in the society.

Noshaaba Mudassar, a resident of 9-A, said residents protests had gone unnoticed and that was why Model Town residents had become victims of a terrorist attack. She said more than twenty houses were severely damaged in the blast. “No body will compensate the families for their damages but the government should do something for safety of Model Town residents,” he said.

Tamkanat Karim, resident of 75-B, MTS residents had already brought the issue to the notice of the Punjab CM but he took no action. She said according to MTS President Tahir Kardar, there are more than 12 other investigative units located in the various blocks of Model Town. She requested the Commissioner to take notice and make arrangements for the relocation of these investigative units to some other place for the safety of residents of Model Town.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Punjab government has said the president of the Model Town Society never written any letter to the chief minister to move offices of sensitive agencies from Model Town.

The spokesman said that according to the record of the society, its President Col (Retd) Tahir H Kardar had sent a letter to the Punjab Governor on March 11, 2008, asking him to move the offices from Model Town as those could be the target of terrorists.