THE deadly suicide attack on the Special Intelligence Agency (SIA) office, which left 15 people dead and many others injured besides causing a loss of millions of rupees to property in the vicinity, rendered most of the residents of the surrounding area horrified.

Though Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif visited the blast site in Model Town on Tuesday and assured the victims of compensation, a majority of the affected people expressed serious reservations about the security situation in the City.

Asif, son of the prominent religious scholar Dr Israr Ahmed, said he was sleeping when the blast occurred, adding that he immediately took his family and rushed outside. He said the management of the Quran Academy had repeatedly asked the government as well as the MTS to shift the SIA office outside the society. He said the locals had also expressed apprehensions that the detention centre and investigation cell might be attacked but no one paid them attention.

“The Punjab government should shift all the offices of sensitive and security agencies in illegal plazas and high-rises so that in case of an attack the building will collapse and the government will save huge money, which it was spending on grounding those structures,” said Manzoor, a resident of Garden Town. He said none of the government officials visited Tariq Block, Garden Town, for loss assessment. He said a large number of houses were damaged by the Monday’s blast in the area but the government was only focusing on the Model Town Society.

Salma, another resident of Tariq Block, said she was making breakfast when the blast occurred. She said her hearing powers were damaged and she was unable to listen properly. Same was the case with her husband and two children, she said, adding that the blast had also damaged her window panes. She said her husband had gone to the registration camp but the officials told him that the teams were assessing the loss in the Model Town only.

Who was responsible for our loss, asked Waheed, a resident of Faisal Town, who said the front windows of his house smashed due to the blast and the officials told him that loss assessment was only being made in Model Town. “Are the residents of Model Town special?,” he asked.

The chief minister inspected several affected houses and asked the residents of the area about the damage to their properties. He directed the City District Government, Lahore, (CDGL) to complete registration of victims for loss assessment as soon as possible.

The CM was told that the CDGL had already constituted six teams each comprising an official of the CDGL, an official from the Gulberg Town and an office-bearer of Model Town Society (MTS) for the loss assessment and registration of victims.

The chief minister also inspected the registration camp, established by the Gulberg Town administration. The camp was established in the empty plot, opposite the destroyed building, where the CDGL vehicles remained busy in removing the rubble throughout the day.

Later, talking to the media, the CM said he was shocked by the incident, adding that the whole nation had condemned the brutal act.

“Pakistan is facing the challenge of terrorism, which is the outcome of wrong policies of General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf,” he said, adding that terrorism had become a national issue and its elimination was a collective responsibility. He said the nation was united in the war on terror and the country peace would soon be restored. He said the investigation of the incident was in progress and it result would be made public. He said he had visited several buildings damaged by the blast, which had also caused severe damage to the nearby houses and the Quran Academy.

The chief minister assured the victims that the Punjab government would compensate the losses according to its policy. He said he had also inquired after the injured at the Jinnah Hospital yesterday and they were being given the best treatment.

Replying to a question about security arrangements in by-elections in NA-123, the chief minister said foolproof security arrangements were made and people would be given an opportunity to exercise their right to vote in a free and fair atmosphere.

Senator Parvaiz Rashid, MNA Javed Latif, the inspector general police, Home secretary, commissioner and the district coordination officer, Lahore, and other senior officers were also present.