We've men in all Pak security agencies: Taliban

Taking responsibility for the killing of Pakistan Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan has claimed that they have their men inside every security agency in the country, which has helped the outfit carry out successful attacks.

'Pakistan is a State governed by fear' 

Talking to rediff.com, TTP spokesperson Ihsanullah Ihsan said: "We take responsibility for the killing of the blasphemer. We proudly say that the Taliban have targetted him. We also thank informers inside the security agencies whose accurate information enabled us to kill the infidel. After this successful action our men have safely returned to their places."

Some Pakistani and international media reports have, in the past, indicated that extremist elements had infiltrated into the security forces and were helping the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Why Pak lawmaker Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated

The case of Shahbaz Bhatti clearly shows that the terrorists were guided by someone from within the forces, as the killers not only knew that the minister had no security at the time they planned to attack him but they also succeeded in leaving the place undisturbed.

Ironically, the minister was being shifting to a secure area from his residence in Islamabad's I-8 sector when he was gunned down.

This is the second high profile murder of a political figure this year. Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was assassinated by his own guard, Mumtaz Qadri, in January.

"We have our men all around the country; they are inside army, police and other law enforcement agencies. No secular politician can consider itself safe, as we can target anytime. Our people are just waiting for our instruction," the TTP spokesman said.