Cricket meets Terrorism.

Don’t we have enough problems to deal with already??? That was my reaction at 11AM today when I turned on the news channels and got the news that the Sri Lankan team had been attacked. The fact that the Indian team was supposed to be there originally and the Sri Lankan team was a last minute replacement is enough to chill the bones. The team bus of Sri Lanka which was taking the team to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore was ambushed by 12 terrorists who fired nearly 40-50 bullets at the bus injuring 6 players. They also attacked the Umpires’ car injuring one of the umpires. The reply: all 12 managed to escape unhurt. Though 6-8 policemen laid down their life, not even a single terrorist could be apprehended, let alone shot down. They came, they shot, they conquered and they moved on. All the Lahore police top brass could manage was to praise the Lahore police for preventing any player from being killed. Well sirs that was not your efficiency!! That was the inefficiency of the terrorists who forgot to pull the pin of the grenade they threw under the bus. Had they succeeded, the whole bus would have been blasted to smithereens. The terrorists have again showed that nothing is impossible for them and their actions are only subject to their own whims and fancies alone. An intelligence report prompted a change of route taken by the cavalcade from the hotel to the stadium but even that failed to deter the terrorists. This just goes on to indicate how deep their information sources are placed and how fast they can alter their plans for a successful strike. As far as this match was concerned, the terrorists clean bowled the Lahore police. To put it in other words, on the basis of the intelligence report, the Lahore police tried a Googly but the terrorists hit them for a six! (Ironically, exactly 6 Lankan players were injured).

It now remains to be seen what action is taken in this regard. ICC is already mulling the possibility of blacklisting Pakistan. It is obvious that there may not be any further tours by any team to that country. What remains to be seen is what action is taken against the terrorists. Are they left alone like their countless brothers or are they going to be hunted down? What can India do in this regard? For quite some time now, the attitude of Pakistan in the Mumbai terror has come under severe criticism. Now, do we continue to deride them for their statements or do we finally take matters into our own hands? Do we wait for the “very efficient” Pakistan to counter the threat or do we step up ourselves and eliminate them once and for all? Do we still wait for US to take on the Big Brother role once again or do we take up that role ourselves? Pakistan acts as a buffer for us against the Afghans they say. I say, why doesn’t the international community eliminate them as well? Why don’t we finally have peace in the region that has been plagiarized for decades by the same old problem? Why do we still want to allow weeds to grow in our garden? Please, for God’s sake, wake up to the reality. Diplomacy got us this far. Give direct action a chance now. Its now or never…