ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has declared all 72 private guest houses in the capital a ‘security threat’.

A senior official of the ICT administration told Dawn on Sunday that notices had been issued to the owners of all the guest houses — mostly established in the residential areas — for not cooperating with the local administration in security arrangements.

The owners, he added, had been directed to provide complete details of their guests on daily basis so that terrorists and anti-state elements could not stay at the guest houses.

A source in the CDA said the owners of private guest houses had also been issued notices by the authority for running their businesses in residential areas.

“Under the CDA rules, residential buildings cannot be used for commercial purposes in Islamabad. But the CDA cannot take any action against the owners of guest houses as they have jointly filed a case in Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, and obtained a stay order against the notices issued by the CDA,” the source added.

Another official of the ICT administration said all guest houses in the capital were under strict surveillance by law- enforcement agencies to keep a check on anti-state elements.

He said the officials of the ICT administration had been directed to observe the activities of those staying at guest houses.

Action would be taken against the owners, if they or their guests were found involved in illegal activities at guest houses, the official said.

The police, he said, wanted to check the record and details of those staying at hotels and guest houses. Therefore, entry registers of such establishments are being checked on daily basis, he added.

Meanwhile, a meeting of ICT administration was held on Sunday to strengthen the security arrangements in the capital after recent incidents of terrorism in Murree and Taxila.

The participants stressed the need to beef up security, specially at worship places like churches, mosques and Imambargahs, to avoid any untoward incident.

It was also decided to deploy plainclothes policemen at all commercial places.