Lahore: Portions of Lawrence Road, Bank Road to become ‘no go’ areas

[Naveed Yaseen]

LAHORE: The government is considering permanently closing a portion of Lawrence Road and Bank Road to the public in its bid to ensure the security of the Punjab Police and Inter-Services Intelligence headquarters, sources told Daily Times. The option is being considered in the wake of last week’s terrorist attack on the two buildings. The sources in the Punjab Police Department said Queen’s Road and a portion of Lawrence Road would remain inaccessible for another week to complete repair work on the boundary walls of the police and ISI buildings. They said even prior to the blast, the option of permanently closing Lawrence Road –from Qadri Chowk to Mozang Road – to all traffic, was being mulled. However, they said, the option was not exercised due to potential inconvenience for commuters. Civil Lines Superintendent of Police (SP) Sohail Akhtar Sukhera confirmed that the portion of the road had not been closed to traffic to prevent inconvenience to the public. However, he denied that the proposal was currently under consideration. Sukhera said Queen’s Road and Lawrence Road would be out of bounds for the next few days, until the construction of the demolished buildings. He said the future location of the Rescue 15 offices was yet undecided. The portion of the Bank Road next to the Chief Police Officer’s office has been closed to traffic, and barriers have been set up there. rana tanveer

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_5