Strongly condemning the assassination of Minorities Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the Cabinet on Wednesday discussed measures to cope with terrorists targeting high-profile government functionaries and vowed to defeat the mindset behind such incidents.
The Cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in the chair, also observed two minutes silence for the departed soul of Shahbaz Bhatti and condoled with the members of the bereaved family. The Cabinet also expressed resolve to take stern action against elements responsible for this heinous crime.
Later, briefing newsmen, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan termed the assassination of the Minister for Minorities Affairs as an attack on Pakistan, adding that it was the darkest day in the country's history. "Today is the darkest day of the country's history due to the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti who was a 'soft face' of Pakistan and promoted enlightened and moderate image of the country across the world," she said.
She said the Cabinet suspended the routine agenda to pay respect to the slain minister and discussed the security situation arising out of the killing of the minister. She said the Cabinet held five-hour long discussion on the overall security situation including the measures to cope with terror attacks on high-profile personalities.
To a question regarding security lapses, the minister said that the Cabinet discussed in detail all the institutional gaps and most of the Cabinet members and the Prime Minister himself showed concerns that if a federal minister could be assassinated then no citizen was safe, adding that a strategy in this regard would soon be chalked out and its implications would be visible in coming days.
The minister said terrorists have now changed their strategy and resorted to targeted killings but, she added that the government was alive to defeat the mindset behind these coward attacks. She said that the PPP government with the help of its allies and people was trying to crush the extremist mindset that exists in the society.
She described happening of the incident at this point of time as string of the conspiracies being hatched against Pakistan by the forces that want to destabilise the country. She urged all the political forces to come forward and join hands against those who left no stone unturned to disrupt the country's peace by carrying out such heinous acts, vowing that they would be brought to justice at all costs.
To a question whether the incident can be linked with Raymond Davis to put pressure on Pakistan, the minister said that she does not think that the incident has link with the Davis issue, however, she added that the interrogators would probe each and every aspect of the assassination. She said the assassination of the minister seemed planned, as the deceased was due to shift to the Ministers' Enclave and the perpetrators were well aware of the plan.
She said all the elements, groups and movements that are involved in terrorism would be dealt with iron hands and re-evaluated the capacity of the law enforcement agencies to cope with the situations. She vowed that the government has to win the on-going war on terror and the terrorists could deter the government resolve by such acts.
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