ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Monday he was dismayed by the poor security near a church in the capital's diplomatic enclave where five people, including two Americans, were killed in a weekend grenade attack.
Violence against the tiny Christian minority is rare, adding credence to the theory that hard-line Islamic groups had exacted revenge for a clampdown on militants opposed to Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war on terror.
"President Musharraf expressed his dismay at the recent lapse in security in Islamabad which resulted in the loss of innocent lives," the military government said in a statement after he met senior commanders.
Musharraf, a general who seized power in a bloodless 1999 coup, was due to meet provincial governors and heads of security agencies Tuesday to review the law and order situation after the rampage at the Protestant International Church Sunday.
The government has ordered a high-level probe to determine how a man laden with grenades could stroll into a church packed with foreigners in what should be one of the most secure areas in the country, officials and state media said.
"While our troops are fully awake to the threat by the enemy, we cannot lower our guard to the internal security which is also of paramount importance," the government statement said.
The attack in the church followed the kidnapping and murder of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl, who was abducted in the volatile southern port city of Karachi on January 23.
Embassies stepped up security warnings as investigators tried to identify whether a shredded body from the bloody assault may have been that of the attacker.
The wife and daughter of a U.S. embassy worker were killed, as were a Pakistani and an Afghan. The 42 wounded came from several nations, but the death toll could rise as several were in serious condition.
SHOCK AND PRAGMATISM
Musharraf and President Bush have condemned Sunday's violence as an act of terrorism and vowed to hunt down the culprits.
"Nobody has claimed responsibility for this attack but there is one unidentified body and we are seeing the possibility of that man being involved," state news agency APP quoted Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider as saying.
But a U.S. diplomat said Sunday he had "reason to believe" the fifth body -- initially thought to be a male foreigner -- was not that of the attacker.
Haider said the church attack could have been carried out by "people who want to give a message to the West, the people who are against the war against terrorism."
Embassies said Monday they had fielded a flood of calls from frightened foreign residents asking whether they should pack up and move out of Pakistan.
"No one could believe yesterday," said one American. "There was actually a St. Patrick's Day party and a lot of people slept in rather than go to church. Now they feel guilty."
But some in the capital -- accustomed to years of sectarian Muslim violence and armed guards at embassies, aid agencies and residences -- were pragmatic about the latest threat.
"We were just saying we feel far safer here than almost anywhere in Africa," said a British humanitarian worker.
Travel advisories were upgraded after the September 11 attacks on the United States and the start of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan but many people returned this year.
The Australian High Commission said the church attack "emphasizes the need for acute personal security awareness" and the United Nations upgraded its threat assessment for Islamabad.
The State Department issued a worldwide caution over the possibility of more anti-American strikes. It said Sunday's attack "underlines the growing possibility that as security is increased at official U.S. facilities, terrorists and their sympathizers will see softer targets."
SENDING A MESSAGE
Samina Ahmed, Pakistan director for the International Crisis Group, said Islamic extremists "are definitely making a statement -- they can hit out at any target wherever they please."
The government and several worshippers said only one man carried out the attack, although there was speculation another may have lurked by the door of the church.
The 60 or 70 people in the church, a popular place of worship for expatriates, were listening to a sermon when the Sunday calm was shattered by an explosion at the back of the hall.
Worshippers dived for cover as blasts ripped through the church, splattering the walls and ceiling with blood.
Musharraf launched a crackdown on Islamic militants in January. Five groups -- two sectarian, two fighting Indian rule in disputed Kashmir and one pro-Taliban -- were banned and more than 2,000 activists detained.
Two other hard-line sectarian groups were banned last August.