It is very strange that even after getting an appointment in government, some of our leaders prefer to stay in their private houses rather than shift to the official residence. Staying in private houses creates a lot of problems for the residents of their area and also puts considerable burden on the government economy. The latest example in this regard is the CM Punjab. There are three official residences being maintained simultaneously for him in Defence, Model Town and Raiwind. There are whole contingents of police guards along with scores of intelligence sleuths in plain clothes deployed at each of these places. The traffic police is also in strong numbers at these houses with a fleet of security and escort vehicles on the ready. Roads of the areas near these houses are virtually blocked at all hours for public movement. I recall having read somewhere that the Prime Minister of Denmark had once asked the government to enhance his security due to a lot of threats. The Danish parliament had turned down the request with the remarks that if the Prime Minister is so scared for his life, he should quit the job. -MAJ (Retd) ANWAR PASHA, Lahore, via e-mail, January 4.