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Published 29 Sep, 2008 12:00am

Hotel bomb blast report presented to PM

ISLAMABAD, Sept 28: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik presented on Sunday a comprehensive report to the prime minister on the Marriott Hotel suicide bombing.

The report claims that the target of the suicide bomber was the Parliament House and top leadership of the country.

The report said that explosives used in the attack had earlier been used in suicide bombings outside the General Headquarters (GHQ), Hamza Camp (ISI Rawalpindi) and Danish Embassy.

According to the report, a 10-wheeler blue dumper truck was used in the bombing and it came from the 9th Avenue (a newly built road in Islamabad) and via Margalla Road reached the Pakistan Secretariat.

It said the suicide attacker wanted to proceed to the Parliament House but due to extraordinary security in the Red Zone (Constitution Avenue where Parliament House is located), he turned the vehicle towards Marriott Hotel and hit its outer gate.

The report said that the devastating blast took place seven minutes after the truck had caught fire and due to inadequate fire-fighting arrangements in the hotel, the security guards could not overcome the fire and over 600 kg of highly explosive material RDX, TNT and aluminium powder, loaded on the back trunk of the vehicle went off.

The report was prepared by a high-powered committee formed by the prime minister.

The committee headed by the adviser also prepared a security strategy to avert suicide bombings in Islamabad and it will be replicated in other cities.

Other members of the committee were: Minister for Law and Justice Farooq H. Naek, Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz Khan, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, secretaries of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Information, Rawalpindi Corps Commander, DGs of ISI, IB and FIA, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority and IG Islamabad Police. According to the new security plan, only two gates of diplomatic enclave, which houses over 35 embassies, will be used for entry and exit and its three other gates will be closed.

The plan suggested deployment of Rangers, police and Khasadars for the security of the diplomatic enclave.

The plan evisages that sector G-6 which is close to the Constitution Avenue should be included in the Red Zone so that terrorists could not sneak into the main Red Zone to hit high value targets.

Under the new plan, close circuit cameras will be installed along the main roads and at important points in the capital and will be linked with a centralised control room.

The task has been given to the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra). Under the plan, all trucks, buses and taxis entering the capital will be monitored.

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