March 3 In History: Terrorists Attacked The Sri Lanka Cricket Team In Pakistan

Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - On March 3, 2009, as many as 14 heavily armed men wearing masks launched a bold attack on a Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan. The attack killed six policemen and injured seven players and officials.

Fourteen gunmen opened fire with AK47s and grenades at the Sri Lankan team bus as it drove to Gaddafi Stadium. The driver of one of the buses in the team convoy was also killed.

Cited from The Guardian, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, the footage shows glimpses of the attackers running through the streets with rifles in their hands, firing at police lines. Police sources said that all the gunmen fled after leaving behind their backpacks containing weapons, ammunition, and walkie-talkies.

The attack took place in Gulberg, an upscale area of Lahore, around 9 a.m. as the Sri Lankan team headed to the stadium for a match against Pakistan. The gunmen approached from four sides, some arriving in rickshaws and a car.

One of the bus drivers, Mohammad Khalil, said the rebels fired rockets at the vehicle but missed. They also threw grenades under the bus but failed to explode. The vehicle carrying referees Simon Taufel and Steve Davis and match official Chris Broad, father of British bowling player Stuart, was also attacked.

Habibur Rehman, the leading police officer in Lahore City, said the shootout with police lasted for about half an hour. But other reports suggest that the scuffles lasted 15 minutes.

"Because the police are protecting them (the Sri Lankan team), we are the main victims", said Rehman. "They (the gunmen) looked like trained men. The security provided was very good", added Rehman.

The Sri Lankan team was immediately evacuated by military army helicopters which landed in the middle of the Gaddafi Stadium field to take the players to Lahore Airport. The Pakistani cricket team, traveling about 15 minutes behind Sri Lanka, was not caught in the attack.

Punjab governor Salman Taseer, said: This is a planned terrorist attack. They have heavy weapons. It is the same method and the same kind of people as what happened in Mumbai.

After the incident, officers closed the area, vowing to kill or arrest the terrorists. The head of Pakistan's Interior Ministry, Rehman Malik, said the country was in a state of war, saying "We will expel all terrorists from this country".

Two of the Sri Lankan cricketers are hospitalized. Thilan Samaraweera has a thigh injury and Tharanga Paranavithana has a chest injury. Paul Farbrace, assistant coach of the England team, has minor injuries. He suffered a shrapnel wound to his right arm. The reserve referee, Ahsan Raza, who is a Pakistani national, was badly injured.

"There were several people injured, but everyone survived", said deputy captain of the Sri Lanka cricket team, Kumar Sangakkara. "We were shocked but other than that everyone's fine".

Previously, similar attacks took place in Mumbai. About 170 people were killed when militants launched a three-day gun attack on the city in November 2008.

In early 2009, there were armed attacks on government buildings in Kabul City. The attacks in Lahore this time made it appear that terrorists had adopted a new tactic, preferring weapons to suicide bombs.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said authorities did not believe the attack was carried out by the Tamil Tiger separatist rebels, who have been fighting for 25 years against the Sri Lankan government.

The Sri Lankan cricket team stopped visiting Pakistan because they felt the country's security situation was deteriorating. Australia and India refused to go on the planned tour, the Pakistanis then struggled to force the Sri Lankan cricket authorities to go on a tour of Pakistan.

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