Six indicted for attack on Sri Lankan team

Malik Ishaq, alleged mastermind of the attack, was killed last year in July

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Wednesday indicted six people for involvement in the 2009 attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team.

The ATC judge summoned prosecution witnesses by June 30 after framing charges against six individuals. During an in-camera proceeding held at Lahore Central Jail the suspects namely Adnan Arshad, Ibrahim Khalil, Obaidullah, Javed Anwar, Abdul Wahab, and Zubair pleaded not guilty.

The court had already declared two suspects, Mohsin Rasheed and Abdul Rehman, proclaimed offenders. The presiding judge, Chaudhry Azam, held the proceedings.



However, the alleged mastermind of the attack, Malik Ishaq, was killed last year in July during a crossfire between militants and personnel of Counter-Terrorism Department.

On March 3, 2009, a bus carrying the Sri Lankan was attacked with AK-47 rifles and grenades at Liberty Chowk near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Seven players and an assistant coach were wounded while eight Pakistanis killed in the attack.

Since then, UAE has been hosting majority of Pakistan’s home series, with only Afghanistan and Zimbabwe visiting Pakistan for one series each.



Recently, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suffered a setback when a planned tour by the Afghanistan cricket team between April and May failed to materialise after a terrorist attack in Lahore. At least 72 people were killed and 300 injured in the blast after which the Afghan cricket board indicated the tour should be put off due to security situation.

Similarly, in April, the PCB requested West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for a home series. However, the WICB responded by stating that their players still had security concerns over playing in Pakistan.