Hours after Pakistan President Zardari reaffirmed his will to fight terrorism, terrorists struck in the heart of the capital, a few miles from where the newly elected head of the state was holding his iftar party for the VIPs of Islamabad. The bomb, which used 1,000 kg of explosive material, was a clear message to the new government that it was not in control of the situation despite that the advisor to the Interior Ministry, Rehman Malik had claimed on Saturday (a few hours before the blast) that Pakistan would be rid of terrorism within a year.

The blast is one of the worst in the country’s recent history of experiencing terrorism. What is of greater concern is the fact that it took place so close to the Presidency and the Parliament. Allegedly, a truck loaded with explosives rammed into the front entrance of the five star hotel, Marriott which is home to the glitterati of Islamabad, diplomats and visiting foreigners. It is also one of the two hotels in the capital which were declared as safe havens for foreigners. Some of the guests staying there at the time of the blast included US military personnel. The Marriott was also home for the CNN crew that was stationed in Islamabad to cover the political excitement and other events. A smaller blast had taken place inside the hotel over a year ago which did not result in the kind of massive damage that took place on Saturday. The recent blast resulted in bursting of gas pipes in the hotel which started a fire that has now ruined the hotel. Therefore, the defense minister said that this was 9/11 for Pakistan.

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