THESE days when there are acts of terrorism, killing and carnage almost on a daily basis, I was flabbergasted to observe lax, rather I would say criminal lack of security, at both Islamabad and Karachi airports, when I returned home from Islamabad recently.

At Islamabad, my flight was delayed by about an hour and as soon as the boarding announcement was made, I simply walked out of the departure lounge and nobody bothered to check whether I had a boarding pass or not.

When the plane landed at Karachi, my eyes popped out in amazement at the sight of a tea seller who was waiting with his bicycle, deep inside the airport perimeter, right by the side of the runway. As soon as our plane passed him, he hopped on his bicycle and calmly pedaled across the runway to the other side.

So with this kind of security arrangement, it is not at all surprising terrorists successfully manage to attack sensitive installations with such regularity. Whoever is responsible for airport security needs to be taken to task.

HILAL AHMED Karachi