The Model Town Residents Association (MTRA) has demanded the government shift all the sensitive offices from the residential area of Model Town Society (MTS) and compensate for the loss of all the blast victims.

Addressing a press conference here Monday, MTRA president Amer Azam and members showed their support to the blast victims. They held the Punjab government responsible for the loss as it had not taken action on the requests of MTS residents against the secret agencies offices.

They said it was ironical that, on the one hand, the Punjab chief minister had banned kite-flying in Lahore to save lives of the citizens but, on the other hand, he had taken no action to remove the sensitive offices from the residential area.

They said if the investigative agencies offices were not removed from the MTS in seven days they would launch a protest movement and block roads.

Amer Azam President MTRA alleged that Model Town Society (MTS) president Tahir Kardar had taken bribe from the illegal buildings in the area, allowing the agencies to work freely.

Rana Mateen, an MTS member, said that they had written letters several times to the chief minister and other government officials to remove these highly sensitive offices but no action had been taken so far.

According to the society documents, there should be no commercial activity in the jurisdiction of the society but more than 300 government and other offices, including 10 investigation offices, 45 schools and two TV channels, were currently working in the society.

They stated that former City Nazim Mian Amir Mehmood’s brother had violated the law and rented out his a secret agency. Many roads in the MTS had been blocked due to security threats to thee investigative agencies, they said.

MTRA members also demanded the government shut down the clubs, factories, rest houses, gambling dens and brothel houses in the locality. He, however, did not mention the address of any brothel or gambling den.

Mateen said they had issued notice to the owner of 45-K, cut off his electricity and water connection but he had got stay orders form the civil court. He alleged that the cooperative society cases could not be entertained in the civil courts as they did not fall under the jurisdiction of the civil court, but, in this case, the civil court had issued the stay orders. They demanded the chief justice of Pakistan to look into the matter.