The attack on the Sri Lanka Cricket Team in Lahore has benumbed the international cricket world and underscored the importance of security for high profile sportspersons.
The large haul of arms and ammunition showcased by the Pakistani police as having been abandoned by the attackers appears inconsistent with the fatalities and injuries reported. An inconsistency that we should all be thankful for, as the consequences of an attack using all the lethal capability of the weaponry displayed would have been horrendous.
Two reports suggest that the Sri Lankan Team Manager had in fact asked for additional security before the Lahore test and that it had been given. Television footage of the attack and the accusations leveled by some members of the Sri Lankan team and the Match Referee would indicate that this was certainly not the case.
With its long-running conflict, Sri Lankans are well aware of the sometimes frustrating security measures adopted in the country where entire localities are virtually sanitized prior to a VIP visiting the area or even simply passing through. When the visiting team was assured of being provided in Pakistan the security provided for a Head of State, they certainly would have expected no less.
In that case what went wrong?
The answer could well lie in the confusion that arose following the unseating of the PML governor in Punjab. Many questions arise: Why was the security insufficient? Did the attackers know that there would not be much security? Did the attackers have any link to the political demonstrators whose actions apparently prompted a call for more security by the Sri Lankan Team Manager?
The only reported security response in the immediate aftermath of the attack was where the stranded umpires were driven to Lahore Stadium by a Police Officer after removing the dead driver’s body from the minibus.
Cricket fans around the world, as indeed the cricketers themselves, would be waiting for a report from the Pakistani authorities.
The International Cricket Council should lay down minimum standards of security for all tours and these should be enhanced depending on separate threat assessments for each event.
The current wet weather in Dubai has been accompanied by bursts of strong winds which saw a huge digital print hanging from a prominent building on Sheikh Zayed Road Monday. It was later carefully taken down by workmen under the watchful eyes of the Dubai Police. The bad weather is expected to continue through Tuesday.
