NO one believes that with the reverses suffered by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in Swat, the threat of militancy has vanished from the country. However, everyone expects that the security lapses in the past, which have cost Pakistan dearly both in terms of life and property, should have brought home a strong message of alertness and security consciousness. Sadly, both these elements were found missing on Wednesday when the car of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi came under attack by motorcycle riders at a busy Islamabad road situated close to a police station. The driver was killed and the Minister and his gunman received serious injuries. It is quite baffling to learn from Minister of State for Religious Affairs Shagufta Jumani that the Interior Ministry did not pay heed to the request for a police escort Mr Kazmi made around six months ago, even though he was a known, vocal critic of terrorists and had been receiving threats to his life. That is clearly a case of poor understanding of the prevailing security climate and particularly incomprehensible in the light of the fact that a host of other government and political leaders move around in bullet proof vehicles guarded by long motorcades of official security apparatuses. While it is true that our security agencies have little expertise and not much equipment to deal with the threat that can rear its head anywhere and unexpectedly, the fact also is that they, as a rule, have a lax attitude towards the threat. There is, therefore, urgent need to fill these gaps: put the security personnel through a course of rigorous training and make available to them the right kind of equipment. At the same time, we as a nation and especially these personnel have to develop a sense of security consciousness. Otherwise, the stealthy menace would keep recurring, leaving us as insecure as ever.