MARDAN: The tragic suicide bombing at Mardan`s Nadra office has caused fear among the residents of Qasim Colony, a thickly populated residential area here, where a regional office of National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) is located.

They have demanded of the authorities to shift the Nadra regional office to a safer location and provide them security.

The residents threatened to lock the office and stage sit-in outside it if the authorities failed to remove their security concerns.

The local residents gathered at the main mosque of Qasim Colony on Thursday and criticised the authorities for giving a cold shoulder response to their demand for the last several years.

The meeting was attended by elders of the area including Dr Abdul Ali, Advocate Ghulam Hussain, Prof Abdul Haleem, Eng Mohammad Saeed, Haji Mohammad Hanan, Haji Mohammad Jalal Baba, Hafiz Fazle Raheem, Haji Mohammad Sher, Haji Waris Khan and others.

The participants of the meeting said that the office was established in a rented house in the area in 2008 despite their strong reservations. They said that they were opposed to the very establishment of the Nadra office in the residential area and had registered their complaints with the Nadra authorities and the district administration.

The recent attack on a Nadra office in Mardan in which 30 people were killed and over 70 injured multiplied the concerns of the people. They declared to hold the Nadra officials responsible if any untoward incident happened in the area.

They also announced to lodge FIR against the owner of the house, who had rented it out to Nadra and hold him responsible in case of any eventuality.

`This is a serious issue pertaining to ours and our children lives. The authorities should seriously consider our concerns and provide security to us,` said Dr Abdul Ali.

The elders of the area demanded of Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and general manager of Nadra to take immediate action and shif t the ofñce to a saferlocation.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the local elders met the head of Nadra regional office and informed him about their concerns. The delegation asked him to take immediate steps for shifting of the office from the colony to a safer area. They also assured full support to the official in finding a suitable buildingforthe ofñce.