Several terrorists and a government employee have been arrested for plotting to attack the Pakistani Parliament during an address by President Asif Ali Zardari, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said today.
The terrorists had planned to attack the parliament while President Zardari was addressing a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate, Malik said.
The arrested terrorists belonged to Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan tribal region, he said.
The government employee was arrested for extending assistance to the terrorists, Malik told reporters after chairing a meeting that reviewed the security situation across the country.
Malik did not give any other details about the terrorist plot, including the number of terrorists arrested or the identity of the government employee.
He did not say whether any militant group was behind the plot.
Though the Interior Minister told the media that the arrested government employee belonged to the Foreign Ministry, senior officials told PTI he actually was a low-level employee of the Finance Ministry.
Malik said he had directed the Islamabad Police chief to further beef up security for Islamabad and to take steps to ensure the safety of citizens.
President Zardari had addressed a joint session of parliament on March 17.
Authorities had put in place extensive security arrangements for the session.
Hundreds of security personnel were deployed in the "Red Zone" at the heart of Islamabad, where the parliament is located, and helicopters were used to carry out aerial surveillance of the city.
In recent months, Pakistani police said they had foiled another plot by terrorists to target key buildings like the parliament and the presidency.
According to reports, the terrorists had plans to fire rockets at the buildings from mountains overlooking Islamabad, following which suicide attackers would storm the structures.
Meanwhile, Malik said in response to a question that a "foreign hand" was involved in the current unrest in the commercial hub of Karachi with an aim to destabilise the country. He did not give details.
Over a dozen people have been killed since yesterday in political violence in Karachi that was triggered by the murder of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader earlier this week.
