Gunmen attack Sri Lanka cricketers in Lahore, Pakistan

Gunmen attack Sri Lanka cricketers in Lahore, Pakistan

www.rediff.com

Gunmen killed at least four people in an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team's bus on Tuesday as it drove to the Gadaffi stadium in Lahore [Images], according to witnesses and cricket officials.

Sri Lankan media, quoting the sports minister, said four players received minor injuries in the attack

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 2-3-2009 by sunny_2008ny]

This is definitely not good for the game. Cricket is religion in the Indian sub continent.

I strongly suspect Al Qaeda to be behind this attack

India and other countries such as Australia had already refused to tour Pakistan citing security concerns.

After Munich, this seems to be the biggest sport attack. Sad for the game of cricket and sad for the sports

www.rediff.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm shocked that it has taken this long to happen... As we all know that the country is full of Terrorists and people who don't care about life ..I hope the people who are involved are caught and dealt with harshly... Cricket will never be the same ...Is nothing off limits any more ?

This is not pointed at every day people of Pakistan

[edit on 3-3-2009 by duffster]

reply to post by duffster

What if they were attacked in Sri-Lanka? Isn't there a war going on in that country? SAD SAD that the first response is the emotional one and not at all rational.

uk.news.yahoo.com...

VIDEO on the BBC link

can someone identify that lightweight anti-tank weapon used?

edit:

uk.news.yahoo.com...

video of the anti-tank launcher on the yahoo link - and it doesn`t look like an RPG-7

[edit on 3/3/09 by Harlequin]

This is the same stuff that was seen in Mumbai.

The CIA/Mossad most likely behind it...again...

reply to post by sunny_2008ny


My manager was watching cricket when this happened, he was very upset that this violent act took place and involved the athletes, this world sure is getting scarier by the day!

News is comming in via BBC News Television that the bus driver was told to take a different route to the stadium than originally planned yet the attackers knew which way the bus was heading.


Edit: BBC News are now downplaying this, appears that their source was incorrect.

[edit on 3-3-2009 by freeradical]

I feel sorry for the Sri Lankan players wounded and the Pakistani policemen killed. It's also a bleak day for cricket fans in Pakistan... I doubt any team will tour in Pak for at least 5 years. Real shame, since cricket was the only meaningful cultural exchange between Pakistan and India.

That said, this is precisely what happens if you don't put down a rabid dog that has already bitten your neighbour. We'll see who was responsible for this in due course, but I'm pretty certain it was an islamist movement, probably Taliban related rather than al Qaeda related.

I bet you ten big ones that Pakistan claims the perps were Baluch nationalists, backed by RAW (Indian intelligence service).

Gilani and Zardari need to clean their house ASAP.

This is not unexpected though.
With the recent government assaults on the Tamil Tigers.
There will be more before they get rid of them.
They are just creating another al qaeda.
That's if there even is an al qaeda

I hate to say this, but it was just a matter of time before the terrs turned their attention to cricket, simply because it is such a big event over there.

Security concerns have always been a major issue when touring pakistan (well, apart from the umpiring of the games ) and teams have refused to go there on more than one occasion.

This of course, throws the 2011 world cup into doubt - it's likely that teams will refuse to play in pakistan, as some refused to play in zimbabwe a few years ago.
However, given the power of sub-continent cricket authorities, I am pretty sure they will try and overturn any ICC ruling and probably succeed.

Being a cricket fan myself, I am saddened by this attack, but not surprised...

The ony real surprise is it didn't happen sooner...

not sure about these facts so somebody who knows more should confirm but isnt the LTTE a hindu based organisation i know they dont preach much religion, but im fairly certain part of their propaganda for why they deserve a separate state and all that would include some religion.

anyway i dont see how they could mobilize in such a fundamentalist Muslim country without TPTB of said country knowing about it.

either way something doesnt smell right. pakistan and india may hate each other but they both love cricket. IF the terrorist were muslim fundamentalists they would know there would be a back lash from the locals, who are the very people that protect and hide them to begin with.

so seems to me like we could be talking about another party with something to gain the question is who and what?

i guess time will tell.

Predictably this will be blamed by conspiracists / PC Brigade on CIA / India like the Mubai attacks.

The reality is that appeasement cures nothing and this was inevitable given the concilliatory stance shown to The Taliban etc by the Pakistani government.

I suspect that this was designed to further isolate Pakistan from the rest of the world thus giving further power to the fundamentalists who seem hell bent on imposing radical Islamic law upon the Pakistani people.

As has been previously stated, this is a great shame as cricket provided the biggest contact between Pakistan and India / Sri Lanka and most of the other cricketing nations.
Indeed the Sri Lankan team was only there due to the cancellation of an Indian tour.

I am not going to jump to conclusions that it was Islamic terrorist related, but i'm not saying it was the Buddhists either, you know the Buddhist extreamists-do they exist by any chance? :-)

Any way I think there is a 50/50 chance of it being the Tamil Tigers with the cilvil war in Sri Lanka but then again why did they not attack their own team at home why in Pakistan? It was not suicide bombers either and they ran away from the scene so it must be different all together.


[edit on 3-3-2009 by The time lord]

I don't think this was the LTTE or even as someone absurdly suggested, the CIA/ Mossad.

If we examine the attack rationally, the aims seem to have been to push Pakistan further into isolation. This meets the aims of the Taliban. If nobody else accepts Pakistan and its people, they will be forced to side with the only people who will- the Taliban.

This certainly wasn't the LTTE. They don't have the capability to strike that far or plan that far ahead. Plus a couple of the players injured were Tamils, which makes it unlikely that the LTTE would attack their own people. Furthermore the images of the gunmen suggest to me that they are Islamists from the NWFP... they dont look (racially) Sri Lankan to me.

It also wasn't the CIA/ Mossad. Its as simple as "where is the motive?".

Cui bono? In this situation, the Pak civilian government is weakened and the people will be angry at the total lack of cricket in their country. Pakistan will be isolated and neglected, their economy will suffer as will cultural exchange. This will lend itself to the Talibanisation of its disaffected population, unless the Pak government moves swiftly and decisively.

Tamils are Hindu and they certainly don't operate in Pakistan.

This is very likely not against Sri Lankans. This is about the imminent destruction of Pakistan.

You will know who is behind this as soon as foreign troops enter Pakistani territory, in the very near future - to "save" Pakistan.

Originally posted by DangerDeath
Tamils are Hindu and they certainly don't operate in Pakistan.

This is very likely not against Sri Lankans. This is about the imminent destruction of Pakistan.

You will know who is behind this as soon as foreign troops enter Pakistani territory, in the very near future - to "save" Pakistan.

I am sorry to say but Pakistan has nukes and if things get out of control could they be used as threat if the extreamists take control? And if that is the case then the superpowers be it America will have to fight this situation off because I don't think the Chinese or the koreans or the African nations are in the position to do much about it. Then again America will get accused for stopping the situation.

I am saying, that because of that (Pakistan has nukes), there is an ongoing intervention in Pakistan, and all they need is an "excuse", as mother history teaches us.

Pakistan's nuclear capability has been nullified.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

mikesingh as always provides up to date, accurate and insightful analysis.

www.atimes.com...

Here we go... Hamid Gul has blamed RAW and India for the attacks.

Didn't take long, did it.

Despicable buggers... they'll blame everyone apart from the real perpetrators.

To suggest that India did it is moronic in the highest order. If India wanted to hit Pakistan, they could do a hell of a lot more damage than this. At any rate, RAW certainly wouldn't attack the Sri Lankan cricket team, for whom India has a lot of respect and a bond of friendship.

I am at a loss for words that Hamid Gul can walk as a free man despite having created the Taliban and engaging the ISI in its murderous terror campaign.