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Attack on Srilankan cricket team in Lahore

Courage tends to surface during times of crisis. These Pakistani police escorts have demonstrated true bravery and sacrifice in the line of duty, and may they rest in peace.

Instead of bitching about how Pakistan isn't doing enough against terrorism, provide them with the aid and tools necessary to win. I hope China takes the lead in practical support to Pakistan.
 
I am not taking anything away from the courage shown by cops here, But how did these 12 people just ran away and nobody was shot dead? Is there some catch in this, that someone might be caught.... or what ever - this is generating lot of conspiracy theory.
 
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Samaraweena was the most injured in the first bus. He sustained a bullet wound on his left thigh. The other injuries were bullets and shrapnels that grazed other players. - as per Sri Lanka coach

Lahore police did a commendable job even driving the second bus to safety after the driver was killed. Fourth official in a critical condition with bullets puncturing his lung.

Non existant security when the 12 gunmen ambushed the convoy. The gunmen fired from three sides. Whole episode took 20-30 seconds. Gunmen were in a hurry to scoot from the place (avoid being killed or taken prisoner) . Reports said that if they had persisted , then they could have easily taken prisoners or killed cricketers.

One grenade failed to explode under the bus. The other was skillfully evaded by the bus driver.

First bus peppered with bullets . Sri Lankan cricketers were the targets and the gunmen were intent on killing all of them - as per Mahela Jaywardene
 
My condolences to the people and families killed, injured and affected in this attack

Just wana say that to all those people pointing fingers at India, dont let your blind hatred get in the way of logic. You really have no grasp over military and political strategy.

India's worst case scenario would be to have an unstable nuclear armed neighbour, which this attack has added to. India would have no interest in planning an attack that could weaken the institution of responsible governance. It would escalate tensions and raise the possibility of armed conflict.

All i would say to the Pakistan government is that if you sleep with dogs, your gona get fleas
 
My condolences to the people and families killed, injured and affected in this attack

Just wana say that to all those people pointing fingers at India, dont let your blind hatred get in the way of logic. You really have no grasp over military and political strategy.

India's worst case scenario would be to have an unstable nuclear armed neighbour, which this attack has added to. India would have no interest in planning an attack that could weaken the institution of responsible governance. It would escalate tensions and raise the possibility of armed conflict.
3)
All i would say to the Pakistan government is that if you sleep with dogs, your gona get fleas

Well said, but most pakistanis seem to think india benefits by this crazy madness, only mad people who grow in power in anarchy benefit.

1)India's IPL is already getting delayed because of this attack,
2)The WC 2011 may get moved out of SE altogether,
3)India Pak cricket is the biggest money spinner ALSO for Indian cricket,
4)An undermined pakistan govt is bad news for India when pak govt itself admits that 'Non State Actors' are so powerful there already,
5)Why will India risk killing SL cricketers? if caught the damage to india's reputation will last decade.

Pakistan must eliminate the anarchists operating in their country.
 
My condolences to the people and families killed, injured and affected in this attack

Just wana say that to all those people pointing fingers at India, dont let your blind hatred get in the way of logic.
You really have no grasp over military and political strategy.

India's worst case scenario would be to have an unstable nuclear armed neighbour, which this attack has added to. India would have no interest in planning an attack that could weaken the institution of responsible governance. It would escalate tensions and raise the possibility of armed conflict.

All i would say to the Pakistan government is that if you sleep with dogs, your gona get fleas


Dear Indian we are not in habit to point fingers in the first minute of attacks unlike you Indians.

We are not saying but the world is saying look at what US says


Attack on Sri Lanka cricketers aimed to disrupt positive Lanka-Pakistan relations says United States
Wed, 2009-03-04 14:51
Daya Gamage – US National Correspondent Asian Tribune

Washington, D.C. 04 March (Asiantribune.com): The terrorist attack on Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahor, Pakistan in the morning hours of February 3 prompted the United States to comment that the attack was aimed at disrupting positive relations developed between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The State Department spokesman said that this attack was not just an attack on individuals when he used the tern ‘positive’ in saying that to disrupt those positive relations between the two countries.

The U.S. is aware of the special relations the two countries have developed after Mahinda Rajapaksa became this South Asian nation’s president when the latter intensified her counter-terrorism offensive against Tamil Tigers whose defeat is imminent.


Acting State Department Deputy Spokesman Gordan Duguid made the following comment on the attacks during a press conference at the State Department on 3 March.

Question: Yeah, there was the attack on visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore yesterday. Does the State Department know who were behind these attacks or do you have any comments on those attacks?

Mr. Duguid: We condemn this vicious attack on innocent civilians, but also on the positive relations that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are trying to enjoy. This is not just an attack on individuals; this is an attack on peaceful, normal relations. And we utterly condemn this terrorist attack.

We send our condolences to the families of the victims, and we send our condolences to the injured and the wounded. The Pakistani police, I am given to understand, were extremely brave in protecting their charges and should be commended.

President Obama was asked by a journalist on 3 March for his response on the attack against the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan. Following is the transcript of the exchange.

Question: Can you just talk about the Pakistan terror attack today on the cricket team? You, in particular, Mr. President, have made it clear that you've got to see Afghanistan and Pakistan together. How do you think that the world community can support Pakistan?

President Obama: Well, the details are still coming in, and so I don't want to be too specific. Obviously, we're deeply concerned. But let me just make a general statement. Both Great Britain and the United States share a deep interest in ensuring that neither Afghanistan, nor Pakistan are safe havens for terrorist activity.

And we have coordinated effectively in the past. But the truth is, is that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated. The safe havens for al Qaeda remain in the frontier regions of Pakistan. And we are conducting currently a comprehensive review of our policies with respect to Afghanistan, with respect to Pakistan, our coordination with our NATO allies and other members of the international security forces that are there. I will be making a series of announcements prior to the NATO summit that immediately follows the G20 summit, in terms of the direction that the United States would like to go.

What I'm confident in is that our strongest partner in that effort once again will be the United Kingdom and the Prime Minister sitting next to me.

- Asian Tribune -



Attack on Sri Lanka cricketers aimed to disrupt positive Lanka-Pakistan relations says United States | Asian Tribune
 
Well said, but most pakistanis seem to think india benefits by this crazy madness, only mad people who grow in power in anarchy benefit.

1)India's IPL is already getting delayed because of this attack,
2)The WC 2011 may get moved out of SE altogether,
3)India Pak cricket is the biggest money spinner ALSO for Indian cricket,
4)An undermined pakistan govt is bad news for India when pak govt itself admits that 'Non State Actors' are so powerful there already,
5)Why will India risk killing SL cricketers? if caught the damage to india's reputation will last decade.

Pakistan must eliminate the anarchists operating in their country.

The World Cup isn't going to move out of India.

It is going to move out of Pakistan.

BCCI will throw a tantrum, and pay everyone a lot of money, or threaten them, and everyone will come to India under the promise of security.

That won't happen in Pakistan because PCB doesn't have the influence.
 
Do not cry like children. Stop running from your responsibilities. No one will believe anything unless there is any proof.
 
LOL

I missed the past where the world is saying india is behind this attack.

do u also read that on blank papers???

Dear Indian we are not in habit to point fingers in the first minute of attacks unlike you Indians.

We are not saying but the world is saying look at what US says


Attack on Sri Lanka cricketers aimed to disrupt positive Lanka-Pakistan relations says United States
Wed, 2009-03-04 14:51
Daya Gamage – US National Correspondent Asian Tribune

Washington, D.C. 04 March (Asiantribune.com): The terrorist attack on Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahor, Pakistan in the morning hours of February 3 prompted the United States to comment that the attack was aimed at disrupting positive relations developed between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.



The State Department spokesman said that this attack was not just an attack on individuals when he used the tern ‘positive’ in saying that to disrupt those positive relations between the two countries.

The U.S. is aware of the special relations the two countries have developed after Mahinda Rajapaksa became this South Asian nation’s president when the latter intensified her counter-terrorism offensive against Tamil Tigers whose defeat is imminent.


Acting State Department Deputy Spokesman Gordan Duguid made the following comment on the attacks during a press conference at the State Department on 3 March.

Question: Yeah, there was the attack on visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore yesterday. Does the State Department know who were behind these attacks or do you have any comments on those attacks?

Mr. Duguid: We condemn this vicious attack on innocent civilians, but also on the positive relations that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are trying to enjoy. This is not just an attack on individuals; this is an attack on peaceful, normal relations. And we utterly condemn this terrorist attack.

We send our condolences to the families of the victims, and we send our condolences to the injured and the wounded. The Pakistani police, I am given to understand, were extremely brave in protecting their charges and should be commended.

President Obama was asked by a journalist on 3 March for his response on the attack against the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan. Following is the transcript of the exchange.

Question: Can you just talk about the Pakistan terror attack today on the cricket team? You, in particular, Mr. President, have made it clear that you've got to see Afghanistan and Pakistan together. How do you think that the world community can support Pakistan?

President Obama: Well, the details are still coming in, and so I don't want to be too specific. Obviously, we're deeply concerned. But let me just make a general statement. Both Great Britain and the United States share a deep interest in ensuring that neither Afghanistan, nor Pakistan are safe havens for terrorist activity.

And we have coordinated effectively in the past. But the truth is, is that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated. The safe havens for al Qaeda remain in the frontier regions of Pakistan. And we are conducting currently a comprehensive review of our policies with respect to Afghanistan, with respect to Pakistan, our coordination with our NATO allies and other members of the international security forces that are there. I will be making a series of announcements prior to the NATO summit that immediately follows the G20 summit, in terms of the direction that the United States would like to go.

What I'm confident in is that our strongest partner in that effort once again will be the United Kingdom and the Prime Minister sitting next to me.

- Asian Tribune -



Attack on Sri Lanka cricketers aimed to disrupt positive Lanka-Pakistan relations says United States | Asian Tribune
 
The terrorist caught should be hanged right where this incident occurred in Lahore and there bodies should not be offered a burial. Keep their bodies hanging until the crows start eating their flesh, let the world see and give our enemies a clear message, we mean business.
 
Dear Indian we are not in habit to point fingers in the first minute of attacks unlike you Indians.

We are not saying but the world is saying look at what US says


Attack on Sri Lanka cricketers aimed to disrupt positive Lanka-Pakistan relations says United States
Wed, 2009-03-04 14:51
Daya Gamage – US National Correspondent Asian Tribune

Washington, D.C. 04 March (Asiantribune.com): The terrorist attack on Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahor, Pakistan in the morning hours of February 3 prompted the United States to comment that the attack was aimed at disrupting positive relations developed between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The State Department spokesman said that this attack was not just an attack on individuals when he used the tern ‘positive’ in saying that to disrupt those positive relations between the two countries.

The U.S. is aware of the special relations the two countries have developed after Mahinda Rajapaksa became this South Asian nation’s president when the latter intensified her counter-terrorism offensive against Tamil Tigers whose defeat is imminent.


Acting State Department Deputy Spokesman Gordan Duguid made the following comment on the attacks during a press conference at the State Department on 3 March.

Question: Yeah, there was the attack on visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore yesterday. Does the State Department know who were behind these attacks or do you have any comments on those attacks?

Mr. Duguid: We condemn this vicious attack on innocent civilians, but also on the positive relations that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are trying to enjoy. This is not just an attack on individuals; this is an attack on peaceful, normal relations. And we utterly condemn this terrorist attack.

We send our condolences to the families of the victims, and we send our condolences to the injured and the wounded. The Pakistani police, I am given to understand, were extremely brave in protecting their charges and should be commended.

President Obama was asked by a journalist on 3 March for his response on the attack against the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan. Following is the transcript of the exchange.

Question: Can you just talk about the Pakistan terror attack today on the cricket team? You, in particular, Mr. President, have made it clear that you've got to see Afghanistan and Pakistan together. How do you think that the world community can support Pakistan?

President Obama: Well, the details are still coming in, and so I don't want to be too specific. Obviously, we're deeply concerned. But let me just make a general statement. Both Great Britain and the United States share a deep interest in ensuring that neither Afghanistan, nor Pakistan are safe havens for terrorist activity.

And we have coordinated effectively in the past. But the truth is, is that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated. The safe havens for al Qaeda remain in the frontier regions of Pakistan. And we are conducting currently a comprehensive review of our policies with respect to Afghanistan, with respect to Pakistan, our coordination with our NATO allies and other members of the international security forces that are there. I will be making a series of announcements prior to the NATO summit that immediately follows the G20 summit, in terms of the direction that the United States would like to go.

What I'm confident in is that our strongest partner in that effort once again will be the United Kingdom and the Prime Minister sitting next to me.

- Asian Tribune -



Attack on Sri Lanka cricketers aimed to disrupt positive Lanka-Pakistan relations says United States | Asian Tribune




I am not Indian, im Australian. i am a neutral observer and have no bias towards any nationality or religion.
In response to your statement of "Dear Indian we are not in habit to point fingers in the first minute of attacks unlike you Indians" Maybe you should read the first couple of pages of this thread.

India has more to loose after this attack than to gain. Some people need to put their thinking hats on and work out possible ramifications to what this means for Pakistan, its people, investment dollars, economic, social institutions and unrest...etc etc etc, even its relationship with China.
 
I am not Indian, im Australian. i am a neutral observer and have no bias towards any nationality or religion.
In response to your statement of "Dear Indian we are not in habit to point fingers in the first minute of attacks unlike you Indians" Maybe you should read the first couple of pages of this thread.

India has more to loose after this attack than to gain. Some people need to put their thinking hats on and work out possible ramifications to what this means for Pakistan, its people, investment dollars, economic, social institutions and unrest...etc etc etc, even its relationship with China.

Only time will tell who gains what, for now Pakistan has lost the privlage to host the next world cup in 2011.
 
thank god.at last got someone with deep thought.some other pakistani friend can learn something from you.blaming india will give u nothing.forget about kashmir for some time.in the mean time help ur country to be stable and terrorist free.or this type of incident will happen twice a day in the near future.

yeah u r right ..blaming india Gives nthing ..absolutly right..nd when anything wrong happened in India...then blame pakistan..bcz we r a bad nation with bad character..haan?:angry:
 
Shootout in Lahore

'I felt a bullet fizz past my ear'


When you have been through what we have experienced, when you have been targeted by terrorists yourself and been so fortunate to escape, it changes your thinking



Kumar Sangakkara

March 4, 2009




'Our families will never feel the same about us leaving to play in Pakistan' © AFP




As I dictate this article we are preparing to fly home. It's been a long day and we can't wait to return home to our families. We were shaken badly, obviously. Pakistan has a reputation for being unstable in the recent past, but we never expected to be caught up in something like this. I am still shocked that a sports team could be targeted in this manner.

We had always felt pretty safe in Pakistan, to be honest. It shows how naïve we were. We realise now that sports people and cricketers are not above being attacked. All the talk that "no one would target cricketers" seems so hollow now. Far from being untouchable, we are now prize targets for extremists. That's an uncomfortable reality we have to come to terms with.

Tuesday started as just another day in Lahore: a morning report to the fitness trainer to check our hydration levels, a quick breakfast and cup of coffee and an 8.30am departure to the ground. We were all looking forward to the third day's play and trying to win the series. Our chief concern was how to wheedle out 19 Pakistan wickets on another true batting pitch.

Our team bus left with three to four police cars in a convoy with around 12 policeman and security officers, including motorbike outriders. Along the route road junctions were cleared and side roads closed to ensure we passed through the traffic easily. It was standard security for teams in this region and we had no worries as we travelled to the stadium.

The bus was full of the normal banter. Players traded stories, mostly about Lahore shopping, and cracked jokes. Others chatted about the cricket and the crucial first session. Then, as we approached the large roundabout before the Gaddafi Stadium, we suddenly heard a noise like a firecracker. The bus came to a halt and some of the guys jumped out of their seats to see what was happening. Then came the shout: "They are shooting at us!"

From the front I heard the screams to "get down, get down" and we all hit the deck. Within seconds we are all sprawled along the floor, lying on top of each other and taking shelter below the seats. The gunfire became louder, we heard explosions (which I understand now were hand grenades) and bullets started to flash through the bus.

I was sitting next to Thilan Samaraweera and close to the young Tharanga Paranavitana. For some reason I moved my head to get a better view and a split second later I felt a bullet fizz past my ear into the vacant seat. Fortunately, as a team, we remained quite calm. No one panicked. After what must have been two minutes standing still, we urged the driver to make a run for the stadium just a few hundred metres away: "Go, go, go" we shouted.

The truth is we owe our lives to the courageous Mohammad Khalil, the driver. I will forever be grateful to him. The tyres of the bus had been shot out and he was in grave personal danger, exposed to gunfire at the front of the bus. But he was hell-bent on getting us to safety and, somehow, he got us moving again. Had Khalil not acted with such courage and presence of mind most of us would have been killed.

Standing still next to the roundabout we were sitting ducks for the 12 gunmen. We only found out afterwards that a rocket launcher just missed us as we began moving and turned for the stadium gates, the rocket blowing up an electricity pylon. Khalil saw a hand grenade tossed at us that failed to explode. Someone must have been looking over us because right now it seems a miracle we survived.

As we moved towards the stadium, Tharanga announced he was hit as he sat up holding his chest. He collapsed onto his seat and I feared the worst. Incredibly, the bullet hit his sternum at such an angle that it did not penetrate. He was fine. Shortly afterwards Thilan complained of a numbness in his leg, which we later found out was a bullet wound.

Thilan and Tharanga were the worst hit. Just before reaching safety I felt a dull ache in my shoulder. Shards of metal, shrapnel, were lodged in the muscle. After being quickly evacuated to the dressing room the paramedics attended to those with minor wounds. My cuts were cleaned. Ajantha Mendis had several shards of metal removed from his head and neck after his hair was shaved off. Paul Farbrace, our assistant coach, had a large piece of shrapnel removed from his arm. Mahela [Jayawardene] had a minor cut to his ankle. After a while we started to calm down, and the phones started ringing.

When the tour was first announced while we were playing in Bangladesh, we had discussed security concerns with the Sri Lanka cricket board. Our own board had originally asked for a longer tour, asking for two extra ODIs, but we requested a shortened tour, an independent assessment of the security situation, some security guarantees, and proper insurance covering terrorist attacks.

We were promised "Head of State" security and we were satisfied with this. We also wanted to play cricket in Pakistan. Nevertheless, with hindsight, we probably underestimated the security threat. In future, we need to very seriously consider how best to better tackle the issue of security in a new post-Lahore reality. We need to consider a more centralised and independent system for assessing security and a more open sharing of security information, not just between boards but with FICA and the players.

From a Pakistan perspective, it is tragic this has happened. Pakistan is a great country with a strong cricket tradition and very hospitable people. We like playing cricket here, but the presence of a small minority pursuing their own agendas at any cost will surely prevent tours for the foreseeable future. I sincerely hope that a solution can be found with time but assume Pakistan will first need a neutral venue solution for their home games.

Will I go back? When you have been through what we have experienced, when you have been targeted by terrorists yourself and been so fortunate to escape, it changes your thinking. It is a big question which cannot be answered now. I suspect, too, for us it can only be answered as an individual. Our families will never feel the same about us leaving to play in Pakistan. That is sad - for Pakistan and world cricket. © Cricinfo


Bye Bye Cricket in Pakistan:wave:
 
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