KARACHI, March 29: The Civic Centre, which houses the City Nazim Secretariat and a number of CDGK offices, wore a deserted look as no official was allowed to stay in his office beyond noon.

Even the City Nazim, Syed Mustafa Kamal, whose office is located on the first floor of the Civic Centre, had to sit in the KWSB Chairman’s office, situated near Karsaz, on Sharea Faisal.

According to sources, personnel of the army and rangers took over the building at around noon and asked all CDGK officials present in their respective departments to immediately vacate their offices as President Pervez Musharraf was coming to inaugurate the Expo-2006 exhibition at the Expo Centre, opposite the Civic Centre.

People visiting the public dealing offices in the Civic Centre and the adjacent Karachi Building Control Authority in connection with their work had to return disappointed as not a single official was present there after noon.

To the utter surprise of many, even the ‘134’ office, which receives complaints concerning the utility services, was also shut down.

Prayers of Zuhr, Asr and Maghreb could not be offered at the Civic Centre’s mosque owing to strict security measures enforced in connection with the president’s arrival at the Expo Centre. A security guard of the CDGK remarked, “Isn’t it shocking?”