Home Minister Punjab Shuja Khanzada has said negligence of some police officers was responsible for militant attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009.

He said it is great blessing for Pakistani nation that international cricket has resumed in the country after the break of six years. He said the Punjab government has adopted foolproof security measures for the Zimbabwe team. Shuja Khanzada expressed these views in Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’ with senior anchorperson and famous Journalist Hamid Mir. Other participants of the programme were Lt Gen (R) Talat Masood, ex-air vice marshal Shahid Latif and Lt Gen (R) Amjad Shoaib.

Shuja Khanzada said that matches between Pakistan and Zimbabwe cricket teams are the matter of great pleasure not only for the inhabitants of Lahore but for the whole country. He said that National Action Plan to counter terrorism is being implemented and people involved in terrorism activities are tracked down and brought to justice.

“There were three reasons behind Safoora terrorist incident — sabotaging the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, to kill Ismailis and to persuade Zimbabwe to cancel cricket team tour to Pakistan,” Khanzada said.

He said that the government had briefed the Zimbabwe officials that their team would be completely protected and contingents of police and Rangers would be deployed for its security.

“Resumption of international cricket in Pakistan is a bliss and success of Pakistan and Pakistani cricket means terrorists are being defeated,” he stated.Khanzada revealed that according to the commission report of attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009, negligence of some police officers deployed on the duty was found and they had been punished as well. He said that after learning lessons from past mistakes, there had been much improvement in the security and intelligence.

“The formulation of counter terrorism force is the starting of police reforms. Banned organisations will not be allowed to organise rallies. The government is doing surveillance of seminaries and educational institutions; however, the information is confidential, so is not being sheared with media,” he said.

Talat Masood in the programme said the same forces, which were involved in attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009, are even now threat for cricket in Pakistan. “Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is foe of cricket and other cheerful activities in Pakistan and we can expect anything negative from the people having such theories and mentality,” he said. “Pakistani people have vowed that terrorists would be defeated at any cost, so the visit of the Zimbabwe team would be successful,” he added.

He maintained that as literate people were behind the 9/11 terrorist attack on US, in Pakistan, some depressed educated people, who are exploited by the country’s enemies, might be involved in terrorism for shaking the state.

Shahid Latif said that cricket between Pakistan and Zimbabwe is auspicious and good for future of Pakistan. “If the current tour of Zimbabwe team remains successful other teams would definitely come to Pakistan,” he said.

“If we want to find out the root cause of the terrorism in the country then we must take threats of RAW seriously,” he said. He added that The Indian secret agency could have access to Pakistani universities and seminaries.

Shahid Latif said in the 20 points of National Action Plan, only two points had been implemented, including formulation of courts and amendment in the Constitution, however other 18 points are yet to be worked out.

Amjad Shoaib, participating in the programme, said that after Lahore there must be international cricket matches in Karachi and Peshawar, and inhabitants of these cities must not be deprived of cricket matches.

“India must be ashamed of blaming Pakistan for terrorism as there has not been any terrorism incident in India after Mumbai attack in 2008. India’s aim is to make Pakistan fragile inwardly, but it will not succeed in its malicious designs,” he said.

He clearly said that finger pointing on Madrasas is not wrong. He said not only seminaries but there had been problem of extremism in universities as well. “Whenever there were raids on Punjab University, armed people were always arrested from there,” he said.
(The News International)