The general public is already wary of security cordons and blocking of roads during VVIP movement. It is a shame that all these arrangements are enforced hours before the VVIP passes or arrives at a place. Incidents like deaths of seriously sick patients, babies delivered in rickshaws etc have occurred due to blockade of traffic for the VVIP movement. But all this is done to ensure the personal safety of the VVIP. However, if any untoward incident takes place, it is due to the lapse either on the part of security agencies or the VVIP him/herself. The recent assassination of the Governor of Punjab, Mr Salman Taseer is the point in case. There are a lot of arguments and blame game going on about this murder. Having some experience in anti-terrorist operations, I strongly feel that our counter intelligence system is very weak. The agencies should have their own person planted in the security teams who should keep a watch on all the members of security force and report any unusual behaviour of any person. On many occasions, dangerous nets of conspiracies have been busted well in time by practising this method. I think Mr Slaman Taseer is himself responsible for this incident. One he should not have commented on Blasphemy Law and supported Ms Assia Bibi in the first place knowing well the emotions of various Islamic clerics. Two, he should have taken his trusted guards with him wherever he intended to move especially when he had received life threats. Now coming to actual incident, the security provided to him should have been screened by the local CPO and the personal staff officer of the governor. Malik Mumtaz Qadri is a religious person who was supporting a religious beard and not a fashion beard. The other members of elite force accompanying the governor did not move while the killer emptied the complete magazine of his weapon. It shows his other colleagues knew the plan in advance. So the lapse is on the part of local CPO, Governor Staff and the Governor himself. Basically it appears it is an individual act and the killer was motivated by his love for religion which was further augmented by the speeches/comments of our religious scholars. MUHAMMAD AZHAR KHWAJA, Lahore, January 6.