PESHAWAR: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Sunday that a strong security plan for churches and other places of worship would be evolved in a few days.

Talking to reporters at Lady Reading Hospital after enquiring after the health of the injured of the twin church blasts, the minister said the security cordon of places of worship of minorities was being reviewed as terrorists considered them soft targets.

The federal and provincial governments would supplement and complement each other in this regard, he added.

The interior minister condemned the blasts in which 78 people were killed and about 176 injured and said the terrorists had nothing to do with any religion, cast or creed. The blasts in the church had been conducted by the enemies of Islam and Pakistan, he added.

He said that the federal government would bear the expenses for the reconstruction of the damaged church.

Chaudhry Nisar assured full support to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in providing best medical facilities to the injured.

He said the prime minister would visit the province soon after his return from the United States and hold a meeting with the quarters concerned to review the security situation.

He said President Mamnoon Hussain called him to express solidarity with the aggrieved Christian community.

The minister appreciated the level of tolerance shown by the Christian community after the national tragedy. He praised doctors for serving people in the most unfavourable conditions.

In reply to a question, Chaudhry Nisar said the government had opted for a difficult choice of holding talks with the militants for establishment of peace, yet it was taken in the greater interest of the country. “We chose a difficult decision”, war was an easy option to adopt, he added.

The interior minister said the decision to hold talks with the militants had been taken unanimously at an all-party conference, which had representation of all political parties and the military leadership.

He said the APC drafted the resolution carefully and did not use disputed words to make it result-oriented.

Chaudhry Nisar said that disputed decisions were avoided and the option of negotiations was selected.

He said all the parties should unite to tackle this national issue because it was not restricted to the PML-N, PPP, PTI, ANP, MQM and other parties.

—Contributions by APP