I was awoken rudely by the telephone at 6am Johannesburg time on Tuesday morning. Partially conscious and about to curse the hotel staff for an incorrect wake up time, it took a few moments to come to terms with the reality of the news that was being delivered.
I simply did not want to believe that anyone, let alone an international cricket team, could be so brazenly attacked.
It was not just the magnitude of the event, in itself horrendous, but also the fact that I was very familiar with the location and surroundings where the terrorists chose to bombard innocent policemen and cricket staff.
The Liberty roundabout is a junction on the Gulberg Main Boulevarde and the branch street that leads one way to Gaddafi Stadium and the other into Liberty market and onwards to MM Allam Road, where Lahore’s finest restaurants and cafes reside. The Main Boulevarde is wide, four lanes either way, which fits about seven cars usually across those four, with planted palm and manicured lawn separating motor vehicles and pedestrians.
The roundabout is wide and speed through it is often excessive (outside of peak hour when it crawls).
I had my first traffic accident in Lahore on the very spot on which the armed lunatics fired rockets, bullets and grenades at the cricket convoy. There were no injuries, just a scratch on Shoaib Malik’s second car.
People were killed in this scrape; innocent poorly paid, hard working policemen and soldiers with wives and families.
Luckily (or was it because the security was up to standard) no players or officials were killed. The injuries were caused by flying glass rather than flying lead.
The shock is still with me as I write this some fourteen hours later.
The chances of international cricket being played in Pakistan have been slim for quite a while.
Australia have not toured for ten years, and it may be another ten or perhaps twenty before they do so again.
The Champions Trophy will go elsewhere, but surely not to Sri Lanka where the LTTE have not finished their terror attacks in the twenty year civil war .
The 2011 World Cup is scheduled for Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Each one of those countries has civil unrest and terror alerts of a substantial nature.
Cricket Australia have bravely decided to continue with the ODI series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but is anywhere really safe from terrorists? Certainly New York and London have not been so in the twenty-first century.
The game of cricket can be – and has been – a vehicle for bringing people and nations together. We cannot let lunatics wear that away.
The nation of Pakistan is in turmoil at the present with a weak minority government that lacks resolve and ability. The events of Tuesday will serve only to unravel the frame of the nation even more.
I feel for the cricketers, the fans, and the officials who have been attacked and scared. I feel for all my friends in Pakistan.
I hope they are safe and well.
This is not what our sport is supposed to be about.
I look forward to a group claiming responsibility for this attack so we will know what motives could possibly lie behind this terror against sport.
==
Geoff Lawson was recently the national cricket coach of Pakistan and is a former Australian Test cricketer. He has previously written on life in Pakistan cricket.
cosmos forever
Guest
Yes Westy keep playing, but without some naive notion 'sport' is immune from the troubles of the world (just like it hasn't been immune from things like corruption, drugs etc in the past).
challa
Guest
I am sorry but I disagree with almost everyone above. Lets face it he got it wrong. Thats ok. - But what is not ok, is that those of us who pointed out the possible flaws in his comments were shot down and criticised. I was even accused of being racist for suggesting that Pakistan was an incredibly dangerous place to live. At worst Henry was naive. But, the reality is that Australians are naive. Off the field, they have been outplayed, outmanoeuvred and outpoliticked in the world of cricket. They have been bullied and intimidated - smiling and taking it because they kept winning on the field. Look no further than the sub-continent playing the race card and endlessly homing in on the naive and good nature of Aussies. Another example - take Shane Warne accepting 10k. The indians could not believe their luck on that one. No Indian would ever fall for such a blatant and simple honey trap. Anyway, long live test cricket
mcxd
Guest
i don't understand this world.
Greg
Guest
Well said Henry. Our thoughts are with all those closely affected, including yourself having friends in Pakistan. Those urging an apology from you are sick in the head. The fact is we all want to believe we are safe from terrorism, and the fact is we are not. But we have to live our lives, and cricket brings immense joy to its fans, no matter their nationalities. Sadly, the people of Pakistan will be deprived of the opportunity to watch live international cricket in their country for many years to come.
OldManEmu
Guest
Henry you have my deepsest sympathy for the turmoil you must be experiencing at the minute. Your previously expressed views while not popular were genuinely held, and in the cold light of the day objectively true, but of course hindsight has twenty/twenty vision. I will never forget that Sarah Fitzgerald played a squash tournament in Qatar two weeks after 11 September 2001.
Westy
Guest
Cosmos forever but we will keep playing cricket
cosmos forever
Guest
In the end we just have another unwarranted pre-conception to throw in the bin. Started with - the US will never see a terrorist attack (by foreigners) on it's soil, moved on to terrorist attacks like 911 don't happen in our region or to our people (changed by the Bali bombing) and now - sport is immune from terrorist targeting. Quite simply the activity of militant organisations is played out in a very different and more overt way now compared to a decade ago and security decisions about any high-profile event with connections to a disaffected group need to be made and implemented with the expectation that something could happen. Sad but true. Sincere commiseration's to the Pakistani's, Sri Lankan's and others affected by this (one of many and one of many more to come) terrorist action.
Westy
Guest
As i have said on another thread we should wait until we find out who was behind these attacks. Nor should we ever forget the ordinary policeman some armed only with hand pistols who stood their ground protecting foreigners and paid for it. Their sarcrafice provides the hope we seek.
aLi
Guest
No need for Henry to 'apologise' he was merely echoing what most of the people percieved at the time. I myself had written on the fact that ECB is showing double standards in agreeing to continue their tour of India after the Mumbai attacks. However I stand corrected, it just goes to show the anarchy that reigns in Pakistan at the moment. Regarding Imran Khans comments, If I push myself really hard maybe I can see the silver lineing in the form of a forceful condemnation in Pakistan by the masses, i,e fanatics loosing their sympthay vote with the improvished
Michael C
Guest
Forget the petty point scoring and "I told you so" carry on. The bigger issue here is the future of the nation of Pakistan. Has it the strength to withstand the pressures upon it. Remember, the capital ISlamabad is only a few hundred kilometers from the North West frontier province. The Swat Valley recently saw the Govt allow them to institute Sharia law in exchange for laying down their arms (for how long!!!). Sadly again, we've seen a minister in Pakistan blame these attacks on India, trying to discredit Pakistan. That implies an escape clause to justify in-action.
Who Needs Melon
Guest
I'm sorry. I'm backing Tony from Northbridge and Dave O''Neill. Brett you've diplomatically not agreed with Tony but also implied (I think correctly) that many others are thinking the same thing without saying/writing it. If it was fair for Geoff Lawson (a respected figure and knowledgable journalist) to impugn the character of those who thought it was NOT a good idea to go to Pakistan then don't tell me it's not fair to expect an apology. eric, it's not a question of "priorities" - obviously we are concerned with all sorts of things but calling for an apology doesn't compromise anything else.
drewster
Guest
Now would be the time to support the Pakistan and Sri Lankan cricket players and their controlling bodies. Anyone associated with cricket in these 2 countries must be stunned and in shock let alone angry that "Low Lifes" could do this and effectively isolate Pakistan from any sport being played there. Point the finger at the Cowards responsible for this when they have the courage to own up. The entire cricket world should unite and pay tribute to the Police, Soliders and civilians who lost their lives in this tragedy. May cricket rise way above this and show the world, sport is one of the few things that can bring people together. To the brave who have fallen RIP
Brett McKay
Expert
Goeff, I've just written on another thread that while I often disagree with you on a lot of things, you are well entitled to credit for writing what would have been a difficult piece, given your views on this particular subject. And Harry, you are very much on the money. Your "no need for point scoring at this moment..." comment certainly stopped me from writing what I (and I suspect many others) was probably tempted to say. Perspective is everything I guess, and like so many have said, that Pakistani police and civilians have died in this shocking attack is truly tragic. I do hope all involved and especially those injured are getting the help and assistance they will need.
Dave O'Neill
Guest
I Listened to Imran Khan's comments on enough rope and while he projected a similar view to Geoff he didn't point out certain players. Ofcourse the biggest wory isn't an apology from Geoff but if you are going to make remarks you must stand by them. This is a open forum for sport lovers and while i'm deeply affected that something i love so much has been tarnished by terrorism i still feel angry that sportsman i admire were questioned for the decision not to tour.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
A terrible state of affairs in Lahore. The bravery from the Bus driver & ultimate tragic death saved the umpires, just courageous stuff indeed. Henry I thought Slats comments " Henry might have egg on his face " this morning on 2KY were a tad unfair. As for the future of Cricket in Pakistan, no team will tour there for many years, could be a decade.
eric
Guest
Tony, is that your priority? An apology from Geoff Lawson? You're not concerned about the disaster this is for cricket and Pakistan generally? Or the loss of life of those protecting the cricketers?
Spiro Zavos
Expert
Harry is right. From the perspective of the time, Geoff Lawson was correct. Even Imran Khan insisted that cricketers were safe in Pakistan because the terrorists would know that if they attacked players they would lose all their credibility with the people of the street, the disaffected who they want to influence. Hopefully now the Pakistan government and intelligence services will start to concentrate on eradicating the terrorists instead of giving some support to them, as they have in the past.
Harry
Guest
No need for point scoring at this moment Tony. The very real concerns advised and expressed by professional security experts were listened to by the ACB, we should be thankful for that and also that no Sri Lankan cricketers were killed - that is not to in anyway downgrading the lives of the brave Pakistani policeman that were lost - but the international repercussions and impact would have been far worse had the terrorists succeeded in killing Sri Lankans and the umpires. Geoff Lawson is personally affected, and must be going through a very tought time at the moment. His article is well written and I agree with the sentiments.
Tony from Northbridge
Guest
Well, you've certainly changed your tune Henry. How about an apology to those (including the Australian test cricket team) whose stated motives for declining to tour Pakistan in the past? I see Luke Broadbent has picked up on your article of 20 October 2008 regarding cricket in Pakistan as being the safest of occupation. There's no irony, just a 180 degree turnaround! Admit you got it wrong this time Henry. We'll admire you all the more for it.
Luke Broadbent
Roar Rookie
Nicely said, Geoff. It is a sad case of affairs when terrorists target sport. As you say, sport brings people and nations together. When sport is attacked, much like the Munich Olympics, then you are stopping the process of reconciliation before it can even begin. Sadly, I fear that these terrorists will win, at least for the forseeable future. Listening to the news they say that terrorists have long tried to isolate Pakistan from the rest of the world. This attack will do just that. The World Cup will probably be taken of them, while countries will not want to play there in the near future. It's ironic that I am writing this next to a link to another of your articles entitled, Playing Cricket in Pakistan is the Safest of Occupations. I haven't read that article, yet, but the sentiment offered in the title seems to have, sadly, lost a lot of it's credibility. Hopefully Pakistan can bounce back from, but at the moment, I think hope may be all we can cling onto.