Root out 'infrastructure' to check such attacks: India to Pak

In the backdrop of terror attack in Lahore on Tuesday that stunned the world not because it was terrorists’ one another audacious attack but for the first time cricket players were made target, India condemned the attack and warned such incidents would continue to occur until Pakistan dismantled the terrorist infrastructure on its territory.

“Attack on Sri Lankan team is highly condemnable,” said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and added, the brazen attack just points to the fact that unless the infrastructure and facilities that are available to terrorist organizations within Pakistan are completely dismantled and perpetrators of terrorist attacks are brought to justice, repetition of these incidents will take place.

It is in Pakistan’s own interest to take prompt, meaningful and decisive steps to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure involved in various attacks in and out of Pakistan once and for all, he said adding that it would be difficult to check terrorists’ attack in Mumbai and Lahore till they are left free to flourish.

"We would request the Pakistani authorities and all concerned not to divert the attention of the international communities to this problem but to address the problem, take courage in both the hands,” Mukherjee said amid news reports coming out from Islamabad pointing India’s hand in the attack.

“India had nothing to do with the happenings in Pakistan,” Mukherjee said rejecting the baseless allegation.

The External Affairs Minister is also understood to have discussed the present situation in Pakistan with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior officials. Later, he also called on the Leader of Opposition L K Advani and discussed the upsetting situation in Pakistan.

Mukherjee also said that canceling Indian cricket team’s tour to Pakistan was not very pleasing but the government had to take the hard decision as it knew the security situation in Pakistan was not safe. Officials said that the intelligence agencies had reported that players could be attacked in Pakistan.

Six Sri Lankan players had suffered injuries when their bus en route to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on the third day of the third Tests suddenly attacked by a well prepared dozen terrorists armed with automatic rifles, AK 47, hand grenades, and rocket launchers. Six policemen were killed in the attack.

Security analysts point fingers to the obvious suspect Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) — a terrorist outfit known to have close links with the LTTE. The other prime suspect is Taliban for which any sport is non-Islamic.