Tribute from the civil society - Martyred cops are real heroes: driver

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Martyred cops are real heroes: driver Thursday, March 05, 2009 By By our correspondent LAHORE: The bus driver of the Sri Lankan cricket squad, Mehar Khalil, has stated that cops who gave their lives while resisting the terrorists had enabled him to protect the lives of the guests. Talking to The News on Tuesday, the bus driver of the Sri Lankan cricket team, Mehar Khalil, said he was quite emotional at a time when the terrorists attacked his bus. He said it was a matter of prestige for Pakistan because if anything happened to the players, it would damage the credibility of Pakistan throughout the world. He said he was driving the bus with the same emotions and passion that he would not let the terrorists harm the guests. “When they attacked the bus, I thought that if I applied brakes, the terrorists would completely destroy it. I decided that I could only save the lives of my guests by taking away the bus from this place. Though the terrorists were showering bullets on my bus from all sides yet I did not let the bus go slow and raced it to the Gaddafi Stadium” he added. Talking about the Sri Lankan players, he said they were very brave and courageous. They did not panic and remained calm. They all laid down in the aisle immediately after the terrorists started firing on the bus. He said the terrorists were firing from all sides on the bus, which received a total of 35 bullets. The bullets wounded two Sri Lankan players. He said he heard some voices from Sri Lankan players ‘go’ go’ go’ after which he accelerated his bus and raced it to the Gaddafi Stadium. Talking about the security cover provided to the Sri Lankan cricket team bus, he said a warden on a motorbike was moving ahead as pilot followed by two police vehicles. While two more police vehicles and a motorbike of a warden were coming behind. A jeep, carrying an assistant superintendent of police, was moving beside the bus. He said when they reached close to the Liberty roundabout, three terrorists, standing on the main boulevard road besides the Liberty Roundabout, fired a bullet at the pilot warden, who fell down. Afterwards, two more terrorists, standing on the roundabout ground, started firing on the front police vehicles and the ASP jeep. He said the members of the Elite Force immediately stopped their vehicles and resorted to firing on the terrorists. Nevertheless, they were sandwiched because they were facing fire from terrorists from the front as well as from the rear side. He said the terrorists burst the tyres of the front two police vehicles by firing bullets. Two young terrorists, standing on the roundabout ground, had targeted the front vehicle and they were firing bullets on it while the cops in the rear vehicle, after taking cover of the front vehicle, started firing on terrorists. He said most of the cops, who were martyred or received bullets, were riding the front vehicle. He expressed his ignorance about the two vehicles which were coming behind the bus as to where they had gone after the firing started between the cops from the front two vehicles and the terrorists. He said the three terrorists, who were standing on the main boulevard road, also fired a rocket on his bus, which missed it. Afterwards, one of the two terrorists, standing on the roundabout ground, threw two hand grenades on the bus, which missed. He further stated that two more terrorists of the same age were sitting in a white car standing close to the roundabout and when he accelerated the bus and was moving around the aroundabout, they immediately stepped out of the car and started firing on the bus. He said the terrorists were clearly targeting the players sitting in the bus. They first cleared the two front police vehicles moving ahead of the bus but the resistance from the Elite Force cops enabled him to race away the bus from the scene. He appreciated the Elite Force cops who sacrificed their lives while strongly resisting the terrorists, enabling him to save the lives of Sri Lankan cricketers. He said there were around 10 to 12 terrorists and all were of young age.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=165759

Civil society pays homage to martyrs Thursday, March 05, 2009 By Atif Nadeem LAHORE CIVIL society continued visiting Liberty Chowk near Gaddafi Stadium to pay a rich tribute to the martyred police personnel including traffic warden Tanveer Iqbal while laying floral wreaths at the site in the provincial metropolis on Wednesday. They expressed complete solidarity with the Sri Lankan players especially Captain Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana, Samaraweera and Paranavitana, who sustained serious injuries during the attack. On Tuesday, unidentified terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team near Gaddafi Stadium killing seven people including six policemen, injuring five Sri Lankan cricketers and nine others. The civil society representatives hailing from different organizations including, CDRLP SAFMA, SAP, JAC and many others, lawyers and students also held a candle light vigil at Liberty Chowk. They chanted slogans against war and terrorism holding placards stating ‘No War but Peace’, ‘We condemn terrorism’, and we salute Sri Lankan heroes ‘and’ Pak-Lanka Friendship Zindabad’. They said that terrorist attack on Sri Lankan team was an attack on humanity and an attempt to label Pakistan an unsafe state. Talking to The News, many people vented to their anger about poor security by the provincial government to keep the visiting team out of danger. They feared that Talibanization and terrorism have created security risks for the masses. They said that the provincial government should be held responsible for the attack, as it has failed to provide security to the Lankan team when it knew that terrorists could attack the Lankan team. They said that the incident had tarnished the image of Pakistan in the international community, as no cricket team would show its eagerness to visit Pakistan after this incident. They said that the incident has created many doubts and questions in the minds of the people about safety and security of the people and future of the country.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=165707

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Lahore pays tribute to its martyrs * Citizens lay bouquets at Traffic Police memorial on Liberty Roundabout By Adnan Lodhi LAHORE: The city’s residents on Wednesday paid tribute to the policemen who sacrificed their lives for the Sri Lankan team’s safety during the 25-minute shootout at Liberty Roundabout. Those who sacrificed their lives for the team’s security were Maddasir Nadeem, Zafar Iqbal, Faisal Butt, Tipu Fareed, Zafar Khan, Sultan and Tanveer Iqbal. Memorial: City Traffic Police arranged a memorial to the bravery of the police officials at the Liberty Roundabout. Posters of late traffic warden Tanveer Iqbal were displayed, that said: “Salute me, Salute Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s friendship.” A great rush of people was observed at the Liberty Roundabout, as citizens visited the crime scene in groups and placed floral bouquets to pay tribute to the deceased. Citizens condemned the terrorists and said they were proud of the city police. They pledged to fight terrorism with a united front. They demanded the government distribute Rs 10 million among the families of the police martyrs. Some students even prepared banners saying: “The nation is proud of these brave policemen and they deserve Rs 1 billion.” Police officials, representatives of the civil society, students, teachers, and others gathered at the Liberty Market also offered fateha for the deceased. Faheema, a traffic warden, said it was a tragedy that late Iqbal was not carrying a weapon to fight the terrorists. Dr Tasneem Haroon, a woman who had come to lay flowers in the memory of the deceased, said she came from London to pay tribute to the deceased policemen. Hammad, a traffic warden on The Mall, said citizens were saluting the wardens due to the sacrifices made by their colleague. He said it was encouraging to see the citizens paying tribute to those who had sacrificed their lives for the country’s sake. A heavy contingent of police had been deployed on the occasion to ensure a foolproof security system. Citizens condemned police officials, who were situated in nearby localities, for showing negligence by not rushing to the crime scene. They said nearby police stations failed to provide help during the 25-minute shootout. Shahid Butt, a citizen, said it was failure of nearby police personnel to reach the scene that had allowed the terrorists to escape. He said nearby police stations did not come for help and the Police Department should take action against them. He said the pilot squad also did not return to aid fellow policemen although they were aware of the situation.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2009_pg13_1

Pakistanis pay tributes to slain policemen Lahore (PTI): Pakistanis are queuing up to pay tributes to the policemen who died defending the Sri Lankan cricket team in the cultural capital of the country, Lahore. Liberty Chowk, the otherwise busy hub of Lahore, where the bus carrying the Sri Lankan team was fired at, has been witness to several emotional scenes in the past two days. Maddasir Nadeem, Zafar Iqbal, Faisal Butt, Tipu Fareed, Zafar Khan, Sultan and Tanveer Iqbal died defending the team. A special memorial was organised by city traffic police to pay tributes to the police personnel. "Salute me, salute Pakistan and Sri Lanka's friendship," read one of the posters displayed at the Liberty Chowk which had a portrait of traffic warden Tanveer Iqbal. Mohammed Farooq, a traffic warden, said Iqbal had never been on VVIP duty before. "Iqbal was never before posted on the VVIP route. on Wednesday too, it was my duty there, but he insisted to swap his place of duty with me. He was cricket crazy and wanted to catch a glimpse of Sri Lankan players," Farooq told Dawn. Near the portrait, schoolgirls placed cards which read "We salute our policemen, who guarded our guests with their lives". Another card read: "For my dear Lahore, may you get well soon".

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0903051540.htm

Traffic wardens ‘were so brave’ Vivian Salama, Foreign Correspondent LAHORE // By morning rush hour yesterday, the scene of Tuesday’s commando-style attacks on the Sri Lankan national cricket team had been transformed into a mass shrine. Throughout the day, hundreds of people crowded around a massive poster dedicated to Tanveer Iqbal, a 26-year-old traffic warden who was among seven people killed in what Pakistani officials have described as an act of terrorism. “Long live the traffic warden!” the crowd chanted between recited prayers, many laying flowers only a few metres from where he was fatally shot. The victims, identified by Pakistani authorities as elite force officers Tipu Sultan, Mudassar Kumboh, Faisal Butt, Sultan Farid and “Mahmoud”, as well Iqbal and one of the team’s drivers, Zafar Khan, were fatally shot when 12 heavily armed gunmen ambushed a convoy carrying Sri Lankan players and coaches to Lahore’s Qadafi Stadium. None of the cricketers suffered serious injury. In the aftermath of the bloodshed that tore through this relatively peaceful Pakistani city, the law enforcement officials who were killed in Tuesday’s attack have been hailed as heroes and martyrs. Witnesses described them as human shields that served to protect the widely revered sportsmen. “The terrorists tried to kill the Sri Lankan players but the amazing traffic walas [wardens] saved them – they were so brave,” said Ayub Shahid, an engineer who returned to the scene to pay his respects one day after witnessing the onslaught. However, along with the tribute, there is also a belief circulating among Pakistanis, particularly within the country’s law enforcement community, that the deaths could have been prevented had the officers been better equipped to confront such a sophisticated security threat. Traffic wardens said they were no match for the assailants, who were armed with AK-47 rifles, grenades and even rocket launchers. “We are all empty-handed – this is the policy of the government,” said Mohammed Faisal, a traffic warden in Lahore, standing alongside his shaken colleague Mr Shauwkat, who was just a few steps away from Iqbal when he was fatally shot. Pakistan’s increasingly apparent security gaps have sparked international criticism about the country’s ability to stifle its growing militant problem. Punjab’s governor, Salmaan Taseer, said he would hold an inquiry into security lapses that might have paved the way for this broad daylight attack to occur at a major city junction. He denied allegations by the former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif that the security failure was the result of the recently heightened political wrangling in the province. “We saved the Sri Lankan team,” Mr Taseer said, suggesting that the tragedy could have been a lot worse had his government failed to provide the proper security precautions. Still, some law enforcement officers believe that much more could have been done to save their colleagues. “We could have done something about these attacks but none of us has a weapon and the police walas have only sticks. Who can fight the terrorists this way?” said another traffic warden who asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions. Traffic police in Lahore earn an average of 20,000 Pakistani rupees (Dh920) a month. This low salary comes after a pay increase was approved by the former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in 2006 in an effort to curb corruption among low-paid street officers. Traffic police also received new uniforms and greater job opportunities as part of the move by Punjabi officials. Still, they work long hours and receive nothing in the way of health care or social benefits. Mr Faisal believes these conditions are unacceptable, particularly when faced with circumstances that put their lives at risk. “No weapons and no health care? It is so demoralising for us. How can we do our jobs properly?” he asked. “[Iqbal] is not a hero, he is a victim. It can happen to any of us.”

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs....747/1103/SPORT

[DHONI183]

What bravery!!!! I salute you all!

[Mohsin]

Brings tears to the eyes

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