LAHORE, Jan 18: To the utter surprise of staff and visitors, a wall was raised in front of the main gate of the Civil Secretariat on Thursday, creating an impression that it was an attempt to block protesting lawyers to enter the premises.

Presence of a strong police posse at the main gate strengthened the idea that the lawyers had in mind some agitation. And they could be prevented from invading the secretariat only through a wall raised for the first time in the history of the secretariat built during the Ranjeet Singh’s regime as a residence of his French army general.

But, once inside the premises through a side gate facing the MPAs hostel, Pipal’s House, it was revealed that the wall had been raised to block view for redesigning the entrance, making it security oriented on the pattern of a five-star hotel and American consulate in Lahore.

“The scheme of redesigning the entrance is already approved, and it has been launched today,” an official said.

According to him, the entrance was smooth and there was no obstruction to stop any ‘unwanted’ visitor from driving inside the civil secretariat having offices of the provincial bureaucracy and where the chief minister also holds meetings. —Staff Reporter