Marriott Hotel bombing: another sign of Pakistan's deepening crisis

Investigators have recovered a videotape showing a dump truck exploding after being stopped at the hotels security gates. The blast from an estimated half tonne of explosives left a huge crater some 20 metres wide and 8 metres deep and sparked a fire that rapidly engulfed the hotel and took 12 hours to bring under control. At least 53 people were killed and more than 250 injured. Among the dead were the Czech ambassador Ivo Zdarek, a Vietnamese woman and two unnamed US Defence Department officials.

The bombing was clearly aimed at sending a message to the Pakistani government. The Marriott Hotel is in the political centre of Islamabad, near the parliament building, the prime ministers residence, presidential offices and foreign embassies. As one of the capitals two five-star hotels, it was frequented by top foreign visitors and government officials as well as the capitals business elite. Senior Interior Ministry official Rehman Malik immediately declared that all roads lead to FATAthe Federally Administered Tribal Areas where the Pakistani military is currently waging a major offensive against militias supportive of anti-occupation insurgents in neighbouring Afghanistan.

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