Jamshed Dasti, a PPP deputy almost yelled in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, demanding Malik's ouster. “Malik must quit. Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer and Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti were assassinated and Malik, being the head of the Interior Ministry, failed to do anything. It shows the security lapse and for that Malik must admit his failure and quit,” Dasti said.

Another PPP deputy, Ramesh Kumar, said, “Malik is responsible for these two high-profile murders. He failed to perform his duties as the interior minister. We strongly demand his removal.”

PML (Q) lawmaker Naushin Saeed asked Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to remove Malik from the Interior Ministry.

Palwasha Behram, a PPP MNA, said: “Malik is not an elected member of the house. His knowledge of Pakistani politics remains poor and he is not competent to head such a sensitive ministry.”

Malik Riaz of the PML (N) also demanded immediate removal of Malik. "We do not expect Malik to provide security to us. His agenda is only to protect his own interest and not the interest of the country."

Responding to the lawmakers' demand, Malik said Taseer was killed by his own bodyguard who was an employee of the Punjab government. As for Bhatti's murder, Malik said, there was no security lapse in that case.

Malik said he was also on the hit list of the Taleban and so were Sherry Rehman and Fauzia Wahab.

According to Wajid Durrani, the inspector general of Islamabad police, there was no security lapse in Bhatti's case as the minister had instructed his security detail to wait at the office and went to his mother's house only with his driver.

"He often used to visit his mother’s house without a security squad,” Durrani said.