A sprawling high-security private residence for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, complete with bomb-proof structures and a landing strip for small jets and helicopters, is nearing completion here.
The compound in Bahria town, spread over some 25 acres, is named Bilawal House after Zardari’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. According to a Pakistan Peoples Party official from Punjab the residence has been gifted by property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain.
The bomb-proof home is surrounded by lawns that can accommodate up to 10,000 people and has a runway for private jets and helicopters. The compound is surrounded by 30-inch high walls fitted with security gadgets. Once completed, the residence will have a three-tier security system.
Zardari, who is due to arrive in Lahore on Sunday, is expected to visit Bilawal House with his son, the sources said. The residence in Lahore will serve as the main base in Punjab province for Bilawal during campaigning for the upcoming general election.
Hussain, believed to be close to Zardari, was at the centre of a controversy last year after he alleged that he funded three foreign trips by Arsalan Iftikhar, the son of supreme court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
