The residents of and routine commuters to Model Town are forced to cross several hurdles, especially near the entrance to H Block, every day because of the security measures taken for Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz’s located there. The southwest area of Model Town, mainly H Block, is fortified with a heavy contingent of police and roadblocks, which is becoming a growing nuisance for routine commuters and the residents of the area. They claim that accessibility to their houses has been sidelined in order to protect the chief minister and his son’s residence. As soon as one takes a left into Model Town from Qainchi Bridge, Ferozepur Road, roadblocks are seen on the street barring access to the old residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif and his brother. The entire Sharif family lived in their sprawling estate in Model Town prior to their exile at the hands of former president Pervez Musharraf. The area still remains the most visited by the chief minister. Though the Sharif brothers do not reside there anymore and have moved to there newly-built house in H block a few metres away, police checkposts and roadblocks have been permanently placed in the area. Adding to that are the barriers and heavy contingent of police that fortify the new residence of the Sharif family.
Ali Hussain, a student of Lahore School of Economics (LSE) and a resident of A Block, Model Town says he is forced to take a longer route to and from his house as several of the entrances to Model Town are usually blocked when Shahbaz Sharif is at his residence. “This roadblock has not moved since the last time Shahbaz Sharif became the chief minister of Punjab,” he said. He also said the police did not let him approach his own house during the open court session of the chief minister. “No matter what I say to the police, they do not let me enter from that side of the town saying they can’t do anything about it and it’s their duty. What can you say to them then? It’s not even their fault, I drive off and try entering from the Model Mor side,” he explained. “Everyone likes the idea of the open court session of the chief minister but it should not be done at the cost of other people’s time, which can be precious sometimes,” he added.
On the other hand, the caged residents of H Block whisper about other problems of being the neighbours of the Sharif family. A resident of the same street in H Block where the newly-built Sharif mansion is located, who asked not to be identified by name, said it was very hard being the neighbours of the Sharif family as the street had been blocked from both sides and the heavy presence of police left little privacy. The resident said not only the street where the mansion was located was occupied by police, but two other connecting streets too were constantly teeming with cops. He said his family’s guests had to go through several hold ups and security checks to reach their home. “Guests rarely find my house and even if they do, they have to go through an intense interrogation,” he said. He said it was also very difficult for his family members to enter their house without being eyed by policemen standing on guard outside the Sharifs’ mansion.
