By Ravi Velloor

HOURS before the blast at the Islamabad Marriott, lawmakers assembled for President Asif Zardari's address to the joint session of Parliament had been annoyed at the extraordinary security measures.

Many could not enter Parliament House in time. Mr Zardari himself began his address 20 minutes late, after apparently entering through a back door.

But in Islamabad these days, no level of security seems adequate, as Saturday night's blast showed.

Gutted hotel just beyond deadly reach - till now

By Anthony Paul

THE success of the attack on Islamabad's Marriott Hotel must be on the minds of every building security officer in Asia.

I have stayed often at the hotel and one good reason for that is the elaborate steps the hotel took to make terrorists look for an easier target.

A wall and nature strip separated the main building from the approach road. Two heavy metal barriers blocked entry to all vehicles until they were checked inside and underneath by armed guards.

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