IT is a pity that the security situation in the country continues to get worsened, with the life of even the Prime Minister, who is possibly one of the best covered dignitaries in the country, not being safe. The reported attempt on Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani's life as he returned from Lahore to Rawalpindi on Wednesday morning, mercifully, failed. Security officials' version states that the PM was not in the car at that time. Nevertheless, it is obvious that by targeting his vehicle, the would-be assassin was trying to send a threatening message. An array of assassination attempts on the country's top leadership in the past, including former President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, in which the country lost a national leader in the person of Benazir Bhutto last December, is a scary phenomenon that calls for a rethink of our policies as well as the security arrangements in the light of the new techniques and weapons in the hands of militants. Besides, the deepening discontent of the public particularly caused by the government's failure to check the runaway inflation constitutes another trigger of desperation. For all that, there is no justification whatsoever for such violent acts aimed at upsetting the present political applecart. The attack on the car must be condemned. At this stage, it is difficult to pinpoint the provocation of the attack. Yet the incident should reawaken the authorities to the dangers of the policies they are pursuing, whether in the context of fighting terrorists or the deteriorating economic situation. Total acquiescence in the American pressure, which is apparent from the full-blooded military operation in the tribal areas, has not earned the political government any credit; quite the contrary since it was expected to reverse the Musharraf regime's approach to the problem. There is need for a thorough probe into the despicable act and sincere re-evaluation of the entire gamut of the current official policies.