Deadliest Terrorist Attack in Lahore May 27, 09

Like all the fellow citizens, I am deeply grieved at the loss of life in the deadliest terrorist attack in the high-security zone in Lahore on May 27 encompassing the most-sensitive installations like the ISI building, City Police HQ, Rescue 15 HQ, Nawai-e-Waqt building and the Zoo as well as commercial buildings.

Without commenting on the blame-game that ensued the dastardly incident, I would once again re-iterate the utmost necessity of re-evaluating our security establishment, federal as well as provincial, involving the intelligence agencies such as IB and Special Branch, district police and CID and plugging the holes in their operations either because of the quality of men, training, staffing, equipment, logistics, finances etc. to arrive at the right conclusions to plan and implement changes on top priority. There is no point in blaming the militants or foreign hands all the time without learning lessons from our own losses and taking immediate corrective measures.

As a layman with some common sense, I would like to point out that our security system is outdated, to say the least. Our security officials still believe in 'Naka bandi' in the traditional police work. 'Naka bandi' of the police style is NOT enough. For instance, our security officials erect barricades close to the main gate of the sensitive installation ONLY. The barricades or checkposts should start from quite a distance from the main installation from ALL sides, not just the main gate of the installation. The high-security zones need sophisticated electronic gadgets to monitor the movement of the people and the vehicles. The security personnel posted there need to be highly trained and fully equipped with sophisticated weapons to respond quickly and effectively. They need the best motor vehicles to chase the culprits if needed.

Will the federal and the provincial governments please STOP blaming and contradicting each other and START working on remedies?

Mumtaz A. Piracha