[Image, AP]
Today, a police official in Lahore told reporters that about 20 people had been detained in the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in which six police officers were killed and six players were wounded. The NY Times cited Nasir Bajwa, the deputy superintendent of police in the Model Town section of Lahore, who said the suspects “were detained Tuesday night, hours after the attack.” He gave no details of the identities of those detained. The Times added, “The owner of a hostel in an area of Lahore close to the attack said the police had detained about 13 students who were at his premises. Muhammad Ashger said the students were arrested around midnight. A rocket launcher and clothes with bloodstains were recovered from the hostel, the police said.”
According to BBC News Wednesday, “Up to 14 gunmen were involved in the attack at the Liberty Square roundabout in the heart of Lahore on Tuesday.” The BBC’s M Ilyas Khan noted that hundreds of people have been questioned in poorer areas of Lahore to find clues to the attackers. However, the BBC reported, although a number of people had been detained, senior police official Haji Habibur Rehman added that little headway had been made in identifying the men.
Investigators are also checking backpacks recovered from nine locations in the city that “were apparently left by the attackers as they escaped.” The BBC reported, “Police say the backpacks contain water bottles and dry food items, indicating that the attackers were preparing for a long operation, as was the case in last year’s attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai.” Meanwhile, the Punjab government has placed advertisements in local newspapers announcing a $125,000 reward for any information that leads to the attackers. The advert, carried on most front pages, features two grainy pictures of the attackers, apparently taken from video footage, noted the BBC. According to The News, “Lahore police also drew sketches of four of the terrorists involved in Tuesday’s terror attacks…The sketches were prepared on the basis of descriptions given by eyewitnesses, car owner and rickshaw driver.” [Image above of the cache of weapons left behind]
Despite these efforts, criticisms [not surprisingly] intensified Wednesday. Former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, head of the PPP-Sherpao, criticized the recent arrests, asserting, “They [the government] want to show to the world they are making arrests…They don’t know anything. There is not any semblance of government.” The Punjab Assembly, meanwhile, condemned the attack and held Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer responsible. According the News, the Assembly promptly called for Taseer’s resignation.
Several media outlets also cited statements made by Chris Broad, a British umpire traveling with the Sri Lankan team, who angrily claimed that police “melted away as the attackers opened fire,” leaving them like “sitting ducks.” He told media outlets, “I am extremely angry that we were promised high-level security and in our hour of need that security vanished.”
His statements seem to fall in line with a GEO News report that broadcast “exclusive CCTV footage” [see below] of the attackers shooting at the buses in Liberty Square. The news agency reported, “The exclusive footage reveals that attackers carried out the heinous act with full impunity. They started firing indiscriminately on the cricketers’ bus at 8:39 am on March 3 and managed to flee from the spot at 8:46 am. The attackers, as shown in the footage, faced no hindrance and kept lurking about Liberty Chowk area freely. They came toward Firdous market and used the same route for exit. The footage shows attackers in groups who were carrying heavy bags.”
Another article in The News reported that “The Crime Investigation Department (CID), Punjab, had accurately warned the Punjab government on Jan 22, 2009 about an Indian plan to target the Sri Lankan cricket team during its visit to Pakistan.” The news agency added, “The report tagged “SCRET/IMMEDIATE” with subject “SOURCE REPORT” reads: “It has reliably been learned that RAW (Indian intelligence agency) has assigned its agents the task to target Sri Lankan cricket team during its current visit to Lahore, especially while traveling between the hotel and stadium or at hotel during their stay.”
While the GEO development is interesting because it addresses the questions many of us had regarding how the attackers managed to escape, it should still be taken with a grain of salt. So should the aforementioned article in The News, which reported that RAW was behind the attack. A multitude of theories and allegations are abound, and it’s important to wait until the dust settles before drawing any tangible conclusions.
I do take issue with Broad’s tirade over the lack of security, though. Yes, the attack was horrific and embarrassing because the Sri Lankan cricket team and the umpires should have been afforded much better security. The Nation cited a former police official who called it a major security lapse, and noted there “was no proper deployment of additional police guards and patrolling from the PC Hotel to the Gaddafi Stadium despite the fact that the convoy of the Sri Lankan team had been declared VVIP.” That I fully agree with and is something they should be held accountable for. But to say that police “melted away” when the attackers appeared? What about the six police officers who died in Tuesday’s attack? The ICC official’s statements completely neglect to mention their sacrifice. To me it symbolized the oft-nameless casualties of violence that are quickly forgotten in the steady stream of press statements and headlines.
The finger-pointing that has ensued following Tuesday’s attack is ironic, to say the least. The shameful incident that occurred in Lahore yesterday showcased a lack of control on the part of the government, but it also exemplified what can occur when politicians are too distracted by infighting to pay attention to the broader issues facing the country. An editorial in today’s Dawn newspaper echoed my sentiment exactly: “The politicians need to wake up, bury the hatchet in the national good and rout the real enemy.” Instead of doing it, though, opposition parties are using it as leverage to blame the government further. The government in turn is trying to save face in light of some pretty stunning allegations.
Yes, someone needs to be held accountable as the country is turned inside out on this witchunt. But have we learned nothing from what injuries our self-interest can cause? What about the people killed and the lives almost lost? What about the threat to our country’s greatest love – cricket, a sport that is not only a national pasttime but one enjoyed by all Pakistanis, regardless of class, ethnicity or religious sect? And more importantly, what about what could happen next if things degenerate further? At the end of the day, if we watch our country go up in flames, the only people we have to blame is ourselves.
Great reads: This NY Times op-ed by Ali Sethi, as well as “An Open letter to the Citizens of Sri Lanka,” by Samad Khurram and Sara Seerat.
UPDATE 3/5: Below, are the sketches of the four suspects the Pakistani police are looking for:
[Image from the NY Times]
As far as chris broad’s “tirade” is concerned, I was listening to a BBC report this morning which had witnesses who had different opinions of went down. They weren’t asked in direct relation to broad’s statements, but their accounts differed greatly from broads. In any case, I am sure in any shoot-out there will be officers that don’t display the same courage that another officer may display. In the end it comes down to that officer’s personal dedication and courage, I suppose. It’s hard to believe that a 20 minute shootout ensued when police were just “melting away”. That’s a pretty long shoot out. So I think maybe the security wasn’t up to what broad thinks security standards should be, and he has a right to his opinion. And to play devils advocate-when you watch the videos- there are times where the attackers do seem to just roam around with impunity. At what point in the shootout that video is taken would be paramount to drawing a conclusion of the security’s performance.
I think the preparedness of the security and the resources made available was at fault here, as opposed to the officer’s performance during a high-pressure, high-stakes shootout. To take it a step further- if you look at the GEO CCTV footage ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7924550.stm) of the attackers escaping they seem rather calm. They aren’t acting like anyone is chasing them and the whole alley of shops and garages is completely empty and they calmly load themselves on a motorbike and drive off. This happens with two groups of 3 men each. How come they aren’t being chased by any cops? Apparently the Lahore police to 20 minutes to respond from their station nearby-and when they arrived on the scene the shoot-out was over. Why, when the shoot-out was over were there no police mobiles chasing the attackers? It’s hard to say when you are not there.
If one is to assume, from the attackers preparations, that they were planning to hold the Sri Lankan team hostage, then the police completely succeeded in preventing that. It’s easy to say that the police is ill-equipped and poorly trained but we are talking about the Punjab Elite Force here and they are better trained then the regular police. Additionally, the regular police that arrived on the scene 20 minutes later, were not able to chase the suspects who were escaping on what looked like cd-70s(not exactly a ducati). It’s always hard to place blame on those in the line of duty as they do put their lives at risk. At the same time, their lives would not have been put at such risk had they mapped out better and alternative routes to the stadium etc. This blame falls with those in charge of the whole security operation.
I agree with the Dawn editorial about burying the hatchet etc. As with politicians across the globe, any incident can be politicized to invigorate the opposition’s case. That being said, Taseer screwed up as one report suggested by focusing all his security efforts on the political rallies. But had this not happened, would anyone fault the governor for focusing security efforts on the political rallying? At the end of the day the country is in a fragile state and these incidents are just manifestations of the greater instability and violence that has run rampant in the country.
All the conflicting reports today were making my head spin. Ufh.
“Investigations begin” i.e. we will never find out what really happened…
Anyway, I wanted to share an interesting piece Kamila Shamsie for those who haven’t read it yet.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/04/pakistan-cricket-terror-attack-srilankanteam
I liked this part in that piece:
A couple of weeks ago in Karachi, I was being interviewed on a talkshow. “What are the three things you want for Pakistan?” my ebullient host asked.
“Get rid of the Taliban. Overhaul the political system so we don’t see any of the old faces again. And please, find someone willing to come here for a cricket tour.”
As of yesterday, I have to take that last hope off the table.
Hairan hoon… Dil ko roun kay peeton jigar ko mein,
makdoor ho tau pass rakhoon nohagar ko mein!!
It’s suspicious that no group has yet taken credit for the attack, isn’t it? One might expect that if a terrorist/taliban group was behind it, they would want the publicity from it. They’re so desperate for attention that they make videotapes beheading foreigners and such. This, coupled with the sophistication of the attack, definitely leads people to speculate that RAW is behind it. I’ve heard this view repeated quite a few times.
Did anyone ever claim responsibility for the Mumbai attacks?
According to an article in the BBC, Chris Broad’s accounts of Tuedays events involve him using his own body to shield injured umpire Ahsan Raza, ‘to protect him from the bullets.’ forgive me if I take his story with a grain of salt.
If it is actually RAW, then probably their shot has went abyssmaly wrong this time. The Reccession Proof IPL is most likely to be put on hold after the attacks in Lahore. Which means that loads of losses to all and sundry involved with cricket and in taxes to the Govt. Also, in these times IPL could have proven to be a money spinner for many and would have helped provide opportunities to many which are hard to come by in todays times. So if it’s RAW, they have screwed up big time.
From the footage available on various channels, it seems as if these guys are on a picnic. They hardly took any cover while firing, they were at complete ease and there’s hardly any sign of them being in a confrontation or are aginst any counter fire. They took their own time in accomplishing their task and got away as easily as they came, with no one chasing them at all. I mean, its like having your peice of cake and eating it too. They managed to kill at least 6 people and injure many. Dream Run for them and they get to keep their lives without being recognised.
The 6 men have not lost their lives to the terrorists, but to the security lapse. They have been failed not by the ones who attacked them but by those who were supposed to support them. They were the first in line of fire. They did what their job was, to keep the attacker from reaching the target, which they accomplished, but in vain? For from the videos, it seems there was no second line. This is a major Guffaw by the Heads who were managing the security of Lahore and of course the teams. Some heads need to roll here. You can blame RAW or CIA or Mossad or Taliban or Al-Q for this, but they were only the attackers, who could have been easily over powered with some effort. But that VERY EFFORT was missing and that makes the state machinery (read the police) responsible for these attacks. I would thus buy Broad’s statement at its face value.
I dunno why, but these attacks do seem similar to the 26/11. While Indians would like to link this with LeT and Pakistan would like to link this with RAW, there is no way the truth is ever going to be out on the streets. Known to you and me. Just like the 26/11. The difference between 26/11 and Lahore is SUICIDE. Mumbai was a suicide mission, and here the Attackers got away. My view is, if it would have been RAW or some other intelligence agency, then it would have been a suicide mission. The attackers would have held their position for a long drawn battle and not ran away like the way they did. No Intelligence agency carrying out such an operation would like them to come back to office the next day and report to work. They know if caught alive, they are implicated and consequences are grave. Also, there would have been someone taking up responsibilty like in 26/11′s Deccan Mujahideen even if it was a farcial and unknown group. The intelligence agencies would like it to look like an indegenous revolt. In my opinion, there is something else cooking up here, but will we ever know? My answer is no we never will knwo the real facts behind this act.
Yes Chris… the attackers claimed to be from a group called Deccan Mujahideen.
Chris- The “Deccan Mujahideen” were the first to claim responsibility for the Mumbai attacks, if anyone recalls. These claims were quickly drowned out by the Indian media.
HGW- The fact that no one has claimed responsibility is the most telling calling-card of all. What group creates such havoc, and doesn’t want credit for it? Shit- if I did it, I’d want people to know that my group was responsible. Rekonize!hahahah
But just because you claimed responsibility doesn’t mean you necessarily did it – if you’re an obscure group you’re trying to get noticed and gain traction. In the case of Al Qaeda/Taliban-linked militants, I would think if THEY claimed resp, it would mean they did it, but that’s just my opinion looking at what they’ve done before.
“The difference between 26/11 and Lahore is SUICIDE. Mumbai was a suicide mission, and here the Attackers got away. My view is, if it would have been RAW or some other intelligence agency, then it would have been a suicide mission. The attackers would have held their position for a long drawn battle and not ran away like the way they did.”
Interesting point, TTV India.
It’s possible that their apparent lack of fear was caused by some kind of mild-altering drug.. PCP or something.
And in regard to the ‘suicide vs retreat’ point, I doubt it’s very easy to recruit people to participate in a suicide mission. It’s something money can’t exactly buy. So the fact that they got away doesn’t necessarily exonerate an intelligence agency, in my view.
This seems to be the work of “economic hitmen,” but everything is pure speculation. Sadly nobody will ever know for sure.
@ HGW,
Valid point, Money cannot buy morons who would lay their lives for it. So how do we recruit? There has tobe some other motivation to brainwash 14 fools to go and fire indiscriminately at innocents and do not return. Now what could that motivation/inspiration be is anybody’s guess. It has been the bane of the region. The same reason which was instrumental in the uprising of 1857 beginning the 90 year freedom struggle for INdia and Pakistan.
Also, there were reports in various media recently about hiring a suicide bomber for as low as 5000 in Karachi (hearsay… nothing to substantiate though).
A fair number of opinions on the web seem to think it was in some way organised by someone within the Pakistan gov/military with the justification that the way they were acting seems to indicate they knew no support was going to arrive for the cops left behind when the bus and its commandos pulled away.
Or of course having failed to get the team they were just killing time whilst deciding what to do next!
Very interesting HGW.
Though Suicide is one thing that still worries me like nothing else.
What are the implications? Which ever group is responsible have the footage now, the security ineffectiveness of a VVIP protected international team and how they can motivate many more to take dangerous missions…The feeling that you would be able to survive even after such act will motivate lots of youth…
Thats my concern…less security, Surprise attacks, causing casualty, inflicting damage,getting killed was the mumbai model…
but here the model is more chilling, anticipated attacks, VVIP(presidential level) security, less casualty(read specific target)not like mumbai where anyone in their sight were killed…no attempt to detonate anything( though there is no relevance, there were 2 car bombs by the same terrorists) so less damage, once they knew that their targets escaped(srilankan team) though there was this other bus of match official, the terrorists took positions, took the sketched out the route and left.
If this place is just near the stadium even the route and the checkpoints could have been cordoned off, so there is a clear case of security lapse and terrorists having the exact knowledge about that! There were no bikes that were recovered, implies that they took the same bike to their desired desitination and it is perhaps abandoned now.
Shows no one bothered to stop them and they didnt give a damn to any such thing.
IF someone shows me all these proofs to get me into a busy market and fire a couple of rounds…How many “I”s would say, “Heck yeah!”
A no-win situation for the government! And the response by Gilani, without exagerration, disappointing.
Blame India, AQ, LeT or taliban but be damn clear that you are against it.
It looks stupid when the ambassdor says its Pakistans 26/11
Chris Hayes,
That was my secret thought at first too – I mean if this government fails, the opposition or the military steps in. Who knows though. I can come up with tons of theories, but I guess we won’t know anything for awhile now.
Balaji-
You make a very valid point in that the escape of these criminals will no doubt encourage and embolden many copycat militants.
I would like to reiterate my suggestion that foreign security professionals be allowed entry into Pakistan to protect VIPs. Bottom line is that this attack would NOT have succeeded if the cricket team was being protected by 20 or 30 Israeli/ American backwater security guards.
Am I wrong? Obviously the Pakistani police are inefficient, corrupt, and otherwise incapable of providing adequate protection.
Honestly. I dont think so. You can take security tips or sophistication from other countries. But honestly, to undermine a countrys security wouldnt be a good idea.
Its another issue, if the country asks for specific protection or help in coordination.
I don’t see how allowing temporary entry to foreign security officers would undermine the sovereignty of Pakistan. They allow it for many visiting foreign dignitaries, why not just expand it?
To me it’s childishly stubborn to allow VIPs to go around unprotected, to suffer the economic ramifications, all to avoid “embarrassment” by the presence of foreign security guards.
HGW,
Why not allow foreign security companies to train our own officers. Or better yet, allow our police force to be better trained by police departments that have developed a better response to terrorism? The NY Police Dept. for instance is far more efficient in responding to terror threats post-9/11 than even the FBI. There’s a lot of knowledge to be transferred, and we could certainly use it.
All I’m saying is that it’s about time that we break the cycle of allowing foreign forces, foreign security etc. into our country to do a job that we COULD do if our forces were better trained. Let our people take more ownership of this war. Maybe that isn’t possible, but in terms of perception and getting Pakistanis to better embrace this as OUR war, it’s increasingly necessary.
Kalsoom-
Your suggestions are excellent in regard to training of local authorities, that should happen regardless.
But I think the most responsible thing of all is to undertake extreme measures for security in certain places and circumstances, in an effort to spare innocent lives. Look what’s happened, security is priceless. What do you think the opinion of the victims’ families would be?
Kalsoom ji,
On the nail. Its time we understand that the war is enforced on us. Its time for us to take it seriously and the rest like cooperation, foreign cooperation can be taken care of.
Fearing the wrath of the clerics who might topple the government or the mujahedeen fighters of Kashmir or elsewhere shouldnt be in the minds of the government..
Its high take that Pakistan take the war seriously and eliminate the menace.
Human lives are more important than religion or vote banks
@ HGW,
If we think practicaly in isolation, the your idea is great and am all for it, Desparate Times desparate measures. But the if you look at the geo political aspects of it, then this will further cement the Failed State rhetoric and give detractors to simply walk into the lands. So a big risk.
@ Balaji,
Interesting thought. This escape will give many more wannabe’s inspiration to get into the trade of killings. Which is a scary thought if you ask me.
@ Kals,
There was an interesting peice of video footage from Geo running on Times Now in India a little while ago. The visuals were alarming as the ease with which these guys escaped, and I nearly hit the roof on seeing that the guys cleanly got away on their bikes while a POLICE van crossed them from the opposite direction without even looking at them. Conspiracy theories apart, the sheer negligence of the police saw the attackers simply walking past them without even being looked at, leave alone apprehended. This was something that has raised quiet a few eyebrows on the level of training to the police and their failure to identify a terrorist who walked right passed it.
TTV India,
Yes, I posted a link to the GEO footage in this post (Shaheryar also linked to it in one of his comments above). It’s pretty disturbing if true, but let’s not forget the policemen that died in the attack, there was a def. lapse in security and not enough were obviously fighting, but six did die trying to fight off the attackers.
What are the thoughts on the Sri Lankan attack in India?
I say we build a Afghan cricket team and invite them over. It will a good test, if these guys come out again at least we will be prepared to apprehend them. If they don’t come then we know the attack on Srilankan team was carried out by Islamic radicals.
Oh one more thing, we need to make sure that while creating the afghan team we include at least 5 active Talibans. hahaha!!
This is an email I sent to my friends and family, one of whom recommended I post it here as well…so here goes:
I was sitting today and thinking…who stood to gain the most from the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. Was it the terror elements from FATA, the Indian intelligence community (as some suggested it may have been a retaliation to the Mumbai attacks), or was it in collaboration with the LTTE (Tamil Tigers)? Unfortunately, the conclusion I came to is one that is far more depressing then any of these options. I think it was orchestrated by elements in the PML-N. Why? Well here is my theory:
The PML-N and PPP have been in political wranglings even since the exit of the Musharraf and PML-Q government. We all know that PPP snagged the bigger piece of the pie and PML-N and Nawaz Sharif were left at the mercy of the “all-powerful” President Asif Ali Zardari. In recent months, the PML-N seemed to be loosing more and more of their foothold in Punjab, capped by the removal of the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, from office. This brought about the “Governor Raj” that is currently in place in Punjab, with Governor Salman Taseer holding the reigns of the province. No doubt, all this was a slap in the face of the PML-N, and “democracy”.
Also, under the guise of Governor Raj, the Punjab government orchestrated a major re-shuffle in the ranks of the Punjab police force, removing senior officers instated by the PML-N and replacing them with PPP loyalists. This move was also criticized and condemned by the Sharif Brothers. So what were they to do? The only logical explanation that presents itself would be to make the sitting PPP government look incompetent.
While I was reading articles related to this blatant embarrassment to the nation, and costly loss of lives, I can across the following:
“There have also been criticisms made by the PML-N party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that the central government’s recent decision to implement a major shake-up of senior police personnel in Punjab province compromised security provided for the Sri Lankan team.
The PML-N – whose leaders Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif were last week disqualified from elected office – say that they tipped off the authorities about a possible threat to the Sri Lankan team a month ago.”
I thought to myself…how very convenient! If, infact, my theory is correct (or even remotely close), it gives the Sharif Brothers and the PML-N a weapon that all men (and women for that matter) love to wield. This is a weapon of a simple phrase, a phrase we never give up the opportunity to use. This phrase is: “I told you so!”
I know this may sound overly simplistic, and too much effort to go through to make the PPP dominated government look incompetent. But remember this, in nations that are poised as Pakistan is, people will kill, loot and plunder for a lot less then this. So what is the worth of a few dead policemen and a handful of injured cricketers, if it achieves a more sinister political agenda?
Ok, just updated this post with the sketches of the four suspects the police are searching for, as well as the CCTV video aired on GEO.
Aamer-
No, not overly simplistic at all. I am not dismissing the possibility that the opposition parties or the military had some role in this attack – they had plenty to gain. For the PML-N you’re right, it’s their way to make the PPP government appear weak and out of control and cause people to feel angry and look to other leadership. For the military, it gives them ample legitimacy to step in and provide security.
Like I said, I don’t rule anything out. Welcome to the blog!
Kalsoom.. On an earlier blog of yours, I referred to the drug mafia for being atleast partly responsible for the violence in the border areas. I think the current attack on the cricketers should also have a link to the drug mafia. They should be providing at least logistic and organizational support if they didn’t organize this very move.
Putting Pakistan into chaos will serve them very well for the time being, unless they overdo it and military takes over the country.
Its a terrible attack! All the more, as no one thought cricketers are anyone’s enemy!
I was reading ruminations at another blog about likely motives/perpetrators, and I was stuck by a reply to another poster asking why would Taliban/AQ choose such a target! The reply was:
“Why would the Taliban choose such a target?
The same reason they kidnapped Chinese engineers.
The same reason they kidnapped a Polish geologist.
The same reason they bombed the Danish embassy.
The Taliban thrive on being the centre of attention; let’s not forget – their ultimate tool is terror, and what better way to terrorise people than to attack the most high profile target available that would also gain international exposure.”
So I guess the perpetrators wanted to do a big bang a la Marriott bombing and further show how little an authority the government holds over its territory! Is this not a continuation of SWAT capitulation?
We all can keep surmising but will not be able to truly understand the motives and rationale, till the time actual culprits are caught. In Mumbai attack’s case, thankfully there was some trail left behind and one was caught. So am sure if serious efforts are made, there is no reason why perpetrators can get away so cleanly unless they have local sympathizers, which I hope after this attack on cricket-the other religion- even they will start turning against such elements!
The Times has a very sad article on Sport finally becoming a target. Indeed the writer is surprised it hasn’t happened before now given that sport is close tot he heart of billions is attended by large insecure crowds and so on.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/simon_barnes/article5838886.ece
Sadly he also has to take a dig at the aussies. Not needed, especially when as we all know whereas everyone failded to beat them on the field time has gone against them and now conspires against their increasingly elderly squad.
Anyway as my mum said on the phone, well its going to be horrible for the next country hosting the olympics.
Oh hang on, thats us.
I just read the statement by Samad and Sara. A good first initiative. I’ve also seen the FB group that condoles with the Sri Lankans. We need to show the world that this is not us, yeh hum nahin.
Vakibs,
Given how intertwined the drug mafia and militancy could be (they’re often linked as a transnational issue, with drug money funding terrorist operations, etc.) – that link could definitely be plausible if Taliban/AQ-linked militants were involved.
Pravar,
While the Taliban certainly thrive on achieving notoriety the only reason I stop to ponder that they may NOT have done it is that they haven’t claimed the attack yet. What’s the point of achieving notoriety if you don’t claim responsibility for the violence?
Chris Hayes,
That was a sad article – given how sports unite countries and cross boundaries, and that is apolitical, the fact that it is a soft target for violence is really depressing.
I would like to call them feelings rather than thoughts. If I may classify them;
A) Disgust
B) Concern
C) Fear
A) Indians are disgusted with it. More so because cricket is a religion above all other religions in the country. The single Unifier for all in India (and shall we say subcontinent). I remember 1992 WC (I was a teenager and a state player myself) and when India was out and Pakistan Miraculously reached the finals, the entire country was supporting the Pakistani team. The reasoning was that the cup should at least come to the sub-continent. Another aspect, is the IPL which is got stuck in this entire fiasco. It is probably going to get postponed as it is clashing with the General Elections and the attacks on cricket in Pakistan has increased security requirements for IPL. So, the chances are, that IPL might either get delayed or scrapped altogether this season.
B) Concern and more so sadness for the average joe Pakistani. After over 30 years of terrorism in India, the people understand well how it is to be in such situations. The first thing every talks about is the hardships that the commoner would be facing.
C) Fear that the problems are closer and the magnitude beig so high. There are already reports on how close the Taliban/Al-Q nexus is. We have a sizeable Muslims POpulation, (which barring a few stray untoward incidents from either side) lives in complete harmony as INdian Citizens. The thought that Taliban can come knocking any day, is a cause for concern and fear for all and sundry across religions and ideologies. There would be practically no way that India can save itself if Pakistan Falls. Majority of Indians are of the view that a Pakistan in its current Geographical Shape is a neccessity and a disintegrated Pakistan would mean more troubles for India than anybody else.
This is about the feeling of Indians in general.
About the footage. As I said conspiracy theories (like insider job and stuff) apart, I would give not blame the police van who just passed through the Terrorists on the BIKE.
In such a pressure situation, it is hard to be sane.
Also since terror has no face, they could have thought them to be ordinary citizens.
Thirdly, the driver of the van would have whizzed passed so fast that the others in the van would not even have noticed a bike (which is a fault).
Fourthly, the composure and confidence with which the Bikers drove past them is alarming. Ideally, the police rely on REACTIONS, to identify such elements. The bikers just did not react, hence got away, usually the Bikers would have panicked seeing a police vehicle coming in and would have done something stupid to get recognised.
Full marks to the terrorists for the way they behaved. This shows only one thing, they were better trained than the Police. Even about the opposition psychology. This is even scarier if you actually ponder over the way these goons are getting proffessional to the core.
I heard a Security analyst from India seconding Gen Mushy’s view on some channel. He was a Retd Col. of Indian Army. The fact that the first line (the guys who died) took too long to retaliate was the bane of them. As per him, they were not the elite force and undertrained for such operations. There should have been retaliatory fire in less than 3 Seconds (yes mind you) of the first bullet fired by the attackers. Which is also what Gen Mushy said too. So a huge guffaw/lapse whatever you may call it.
@ Aamer;
Politics is a dirty game and Politicos play it well. Nothing can be ruled out. Especially what has been visible through the history of the subcontinent. These buggers can stoop to any levels.
Some points that I feel support your theory (Though none would ever know for real)
A) No One has taken up the responsibility. Hard to understand. Doing an International Operation and ont owning up. I mean the media and international attention is up there for grabs and no one is claiming it. Al-Q and Taliban or Pakhtuns would not let go of such a big opportunity. Especially if they have done the hardwork.
B) The target was just bruised a bit. Hurt at best. I mean, why would someone carry out such a big operation and not achieve some big casualities?
C) The attackers were defo not on a Suicide mission. They walked away calmly. And more importantly they seemd to , like someone said, be killing time there. Which means they were either off target and hence were waiting for instructions, or it was simply meant to be that way.
Of all the conspiracy theories doing the rounds, the first one that came to my mind was that this was probably a PPP vs. PML-N show of strength. More logical too ciiting the above observations. But I guess, we’ll never know.
A consipiracy theory of the team being targeted to kidnap for ransom by LeT, is also as per me not valid. From the visuals, it is obvious that the attackers could have easily achieved that. They had all the time in the world to get on to one of the buses and drive to where-ever. I mean 11 minutes of firing in an open urban sqaure without any cover is a long battle if I may say so.
we have not even started investigations on BB’s murder. Murtaza was killed while his sister was PM and no one was apprehended, do you think the death of a few policemen and the scare of death for some international sportsmen would jolt our govt into action? I think not.
After reading these analyses of “politically motivated” scenarios one more thing has actually stuck my mind.
Australia, England, India have already rejected to tour pakistan. New Zealand could perhaps have cancelled as they will most definitely follow their bigger brother, Aussie.
Leaves WI, SL, BAN left and believe these nations dont make the audience crazy and increase the ticket rates or the TRPs either.
So the Pakistan Cricket board is losing a critical and crucial thing called Pride but not alot of money.
Also supports TTVs argument, that the intent was not to kill the srilankan team. At worst it could have been a refugee drama or a panic creating show.
Now, who would do that? Someone who wants to create panic and also is mindful of the collateral damage this can cause when the outcome exceeds a limit.
Looks like a bigger conspiracy theory, but ultimately possible. Claiming responsibility will have to be sent through some channel and that will give certain clues. Someone so careful?
Opposition would do the same, if it did it. So until the truth is found, lets stick to the ifs
Great discussion. My thoughts are that if the attackers knew that there would be a lack of security. So they came, and shot up the place, doing as much damage as possible, and realized took off before any chances of them being caught. They probably knew they had a few minutes to surprise fire, and based on the fact that the security were not prepared, they remained in the open. Then they start running when their “time” runs out. They know they have X amount of time to escape. It seems that the ultimate goal was to strike fear, and attack foreign visitors in Pakistan, that would cause all sorts of havoc the next day. I mean it is a little weird that the security was so low, and that they ran on scene, and as if passing by, escaped.
@Kalsoom and HGW about the security detail
I completely agree with Kalsoom about training our police forces, but honestly that should’ve been done a long time. How long could that possibly take, and let alone succeed. In the meantime, I think it could be an option to think about what HGW discussed. Security detail. Granted, Blackwater has a horrible image. However, there are security detail companies that a hybrid of security and diplomacy. They put importance on their interaction with locals, and make sure they don’t overstep stay. Yet, they are bad ass when it comes to providing maximum security.
Good point butters… I’m sure you’re right about new-age private security companies who would behave in a very friendly and culturally considerate way.
Blackwater does have a very bad reputation, and perhaps they should be singled out not to be granted a license.
Hi Kulsoom!
It is a travesty of fate. Cricket, unfortunately has been damaged beyond imagination. The impunity with which this attack was carried out and the way they casually made their escape shows the kind of confidence these guys have at the moment.
But cricket is not the only casualty in this case. This attack in Lahore symbolizes the strength of these terrorists in major cities of Pakistan. Just the other day there was this report from Karachi police that terrorists can takeover Karachi any time they wanted to. Please note that Karachi is way off from where the army is fighting these terrorists. What next? Can the army stop these people? More importantly does it want to stop these terrorists? Or is it just that that they find themselves unable to do so?
Whatever be the case it is quite clear that this situation cannot be allowed to persist. If the security forces in the country cannot handle this it is high time Pak asked for international help for this purpose. I know a lot of people will feel outraged over this but just consider what is worse: letting the terrorists take control of the country or allowing international forces to help Pakistan to clean up this mess.