Standard Operating Procedure for visiting teams was not implemented
Standard Operating Procedure for visiting teams was not implemented
The Pakistan government and cricket board is likely to come under pressure from the International Cricket Council over a possible lapse of security for the Sri Lankan cricket team which came under attack on Tuesday in Lahore close to the Gaddafi stadium.
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Sri Lankan cricketer Farveez Maharoof (left) and former cricketer Promodaya Wickramasingha speak on the cellphone in Colombo yesterday after an attack on the national team bus enroute to the venue of the Test match against Pakistan in Lahore.u00a0 pic/afp |
With the reverberations of the attack starting to be felt in Pakistan and its cricket set-up, questions are now being asked whether proper security arrangements were made for the visiting team which was lucky to escape without any casualties.
The PCB had last year signed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for visiting teams on the insistence of the ICC security consultants.
Rehman Malik, who is the top man in the interior ministry, signed the SOP on behalf of the government and apparently many of the guidelines set out in the SOP were not followed for the Sri Lankan team. For instance:
1.Two routes for visiting team's travel to and fro from hotel to the stadium shall be made available.
2. The route shall be completely sealed off with blockade of arteries leading the road where the team were to travel.
3. Special Branch police will sweep the 200 yards area leading to the route with sniffer dogs and electronic gadgets.
4. Special Branch personnel would be deployed well in advance in the dwellings close to the proposed routes to gather Intel.
5. Sharp shooters would be deployed on all high rises on route and around the stadium.
More questionsTo raise more questions about the security plan implemented for the Sri Lankans, it has been revealed that the additional inspector general of CID Punjab, Malik Mohammad Iqbal had sent a summary to the secretary interior, home secretary, chief minister, etc, outlining a clear threat to the Sri Lankans.
Iqbal had written in his intelligence report that it had been reliably leant that Indian agency RAW had assigned its agents to target the Sri Lankan team during its visit to Lahore, especially while they were traveling from hotel to the stadium or at the hotel.
But Rehman Malik, when contacted, said the SOP was not a permanent document and it was the responsibility of the provincial government to provide security for the visiting team.
He refused to acknowledge that important guidelines of the SOP might have been ignored by authorities.
"The implementation of these guidelines was based on the requirements of the provincial police," Malik said.
Incidentally, Punjab is at present under the Govenor's Rule after President Asif Zardari dissolved the assembly.
Past matters The SOP was finalised on the insistence of the ICC security consultants last year who were not satisfied with some of the security arrangements made by the police.
"One of the reasons why the ICC shifted the Champions Trophy from Pakistan was because its security consultants felt the Pakistani police was not enforcing SOPs despite reminders," a well-informed source told MiD day.
The next few days will decide which way Pakistan cricket is headed but what is clear from the attack is that a security lapse took place and resulted in the killing of five policemen, adriver and injuries to six Sri Lankan players, their assistant coach and more importantly a big loss of face for Pakistan cricket.
