The practice of having camp offices by ourPresident, PM, Governors and CMsis just not understood by the people of Pakistan as they consume lot of manpower and transport.Our PM who has a palatial PM House in Islamabad is maintaininga number of houses inLahore and Multan as his camp offices. Similarly, the CM of Punjab is havingofficial residencesin Lahore at Model Town, Raiwind, Defenceand GOR besides afew at Islamabad and Murree. The President is also having houses at Karachi, Larkana and Nawabshah besides grand Bomb Proof President House at Islamabad. The other provincial Chiefs and Governors must be having a number of their official residences in the provincial capitals and in their own cities to which they belong to. All these out houses are manned and heavily guarded by the police of the respective areas. To give an example only the Raiwind residence where the CM of Punjab and his elder brother reside have about 1000 policemen to guard it. Surprisingly,these VVIPs make it a point to visit these out houses at least once a week and one can see the traffic police and thearmed policemen lined up for miles to receive and see off these popularly electedleaders. They block the traffic for quite some time till the VVIPs reach their destinations or are well clear of the area. No doubt they need special personal security but they create terrible inconvenience to the general public. If they confine to their official residences in the federal capital and the provincial capitals, they would save lot of government exchequer besides releasing huge police force which can be used elsewhere for the protection of common citizens. These VVIPs should live with their families in the respective official residences at one place rather than visiting them on weekends. I know aboutour PM whose Lahore Defence residence is next door to me. He comes almost once a weekin his personal (official) jet to visit his family. The Lahore police is lined up for his cavalcade every 50 yards and traffic wardens shuttle up and downhis route to clear the petty/menial commuters. What a royal entourage he has for which he gets intoxicated to repeat it again and again. He has tworoads barricaded with bullet proof bunkers having elite force with automatic weapons ready to fire around his house in Defence. Then we have a house in the next sector where our Governor used to live and now his son perhaps lives where we find the same arrangements. One even finds police guards around the house of previous slain governor in the cavalry grounds. If someone takes into account the total police and elite force guards around the houses of senators, MNAs, MPAs, IGs, DIGs and other senior government officials,itwould come to at least70 % of total force deployed on the protection of these people. Somebody gave the statistics that the leftover police force available to the ordinary citizens is one policeman for every 10,000 Pakistanis. I would request our rulers to have mercy on the nation and leave thisroyal style of living. I know you love to move and live like this but our nation cannot afford it anymore. MUHAMMAD AZHAR KHWAJA, Lahore, July 3.