"This is a very important national concern and I want to share with the house that there was a plot to use motor-cycle bombs today (Friday).

I took the prime minister into confidence and also sought approval from the Chief Minister Sindh in order to thwart the designs.

I had issued the directive under article 148," said the interior minister while giving a policy statement in the national assembly session here at the parliament house.

He said that 96 motorcycle-based blasts had occurred only in Karachi. He added that during the incumbent year, 438 motorcycle- bombs had exploded across country while mobile phone SIMs had been used by terrorists as detonators in the blasts.

"Keeping in view the intelligence reports, I took the decision to ban motor cycling in Karachi and Quetta.

I have taken this decision and will keep taking such measures until the law and order situation improves as the supreme court questions me why I did not take punitive measures to curb violence," he asserted.

Expressing concern over the lack of interest of the parliamentarians in the legislation to track down terrorists, the minister said that he had introduced anti-terrorism bill in the Senate some three years back but it was still pending with the upper house due to the lack of interest of the lawmakers.

He said he had also introduced two more bills in the parliament to plug the legal lacunae but to no avail.

He said the terrorists were being released by courts on bail due to the legal flaws.

"I request my fellow parliamentarians . please give us amendments . give us law," he added.

Earlier, Shaikh Salahuddin of the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) on a point of order asked the interior minister to inform the house why had he banned use of motorcycles in Karachi.

He said that this step had led to concerns in Karachi while the people were already facing law and order situation in the port city.

Abdul Qadir Baloch of the PML-N opposed the decision to ban motorcycles use in Quetta and said that the motorbikes facilitates poor and banning it would badly affect the people at large.