Pakistan’s interior minister on Saturday revealed that police foiled a plot to attack parliament during a presidential address and said a finance ministry official had been arrested.

Pakistan's interior minister on Saturday revealed that police foiled a plot to attack parliament during a presidential address and said a finance ministry official had been arrested.

"I commend the Islamabad police, they have foiled a plot to attack the parliament during president's address to the joint session," AFP quoted Rehman Malik as saying.

President Asif Ali Zardari addressed the joint sitting of the federal parliament on March 17 amid tight security.

Islamabad's government district is home to Western embassies, parliament, the presidency and the ISI intelligence headquarters and has seen several bombings and suicide attacks.

Meanwhile, violence continued in the Pakistani port city of Karachi as eight more people were killed in overnight target attacks, police and doctors told media sources Saturday.

Police said death toll from political and ethnic attacks reached 20 in 24 hours as paramilitary troops and police conducted raids in disturbed areas and arrested nearly 75 people.

A police guard was among those killed in the overnight attacks, IRNA news agency reported.

Fresh violence erupted late Friday night when gunmen in a car and riding motorcycles opened fire and killed father and his son at Banaras Bridge area. Five more persons were killed overnight.

All private educational institutions were also closed and the Private School Management Association warned to close all private schools for a week if peace did not return to the city.

President Asif Ali Zardari has issued directives for a crackdown on target killers, IRNA quoted the presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar as saying.

According to AFP, police unearthed a major plot last October and seized large quantity of arms and ammunition in a raid on a house in a suburb of the capital.