Pak declares red alert after blast

New Delhi: Pakistan has declared red alert following a suicide bombing at the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad, just ahead of the Indian High Commission's Republic Day celebration there.

Pakistan has also formed a special team to probe into the bombing.

A suicide bomber on Friday tried to storm the hotel hours before a reception there by Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal to mark the Republic Day, killing himself and a security guard and injuring seven others.

The investigators apparently were still clueless about the attack and had no idea why the bomber tried to enter the hotel from the side entrance, which is either used in emergency or by the hotel staff.

Questions like why they tried to enter several hours before the Republic Day reception and the real target of the attack were being probed, Shah said.

Security has been tightened across major cities and airports in the country. All airports including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Islamabad are under a heavy security blanket.

Pakistan Civil Aviation Authorities say the stepped up security is a routine response to the attack and that there is no specific threat to any of the airports.

All vehicles entering airport premises are being searched thoroughly and visitors and the airlines' staff are being subject to body and baggage searches.

Pakistani officials have not ruled out that the blast could be the retaliation for a recent military attack on a madrasa in the Bajore tribal agency after which locals had threatened suicide bomb attacks in Islamabad.

Demolition of two unauthorised mosques in Islamabad during the past few days, which caused resentment among madrasa students were also not being ruled out.

The Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal, who went ahead with the plans to hold a Republic Day reception at the same hotel after the blasts, said that the Pakistan government has not spoken to Indian officials on the incident.

Blast cannot derail the peace process. Pakistan and India join their voices to fight terrorism and carry on with the peace process. The motive was perhaps to thwart the peace process between the two countries. Pakistan itself was a victim of terrorism and was fighting it. – The Dawn.

The incident marring a joyous occasion had established that "terrorism knows no borders and it is our common enemy".  – Indian High Commissioner.