Attack in Lahore
On the morning of Tuesday 3rd May a group of between 10 and 12 armed men attacked the team bus of the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore. The bus, which was heading to Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium for a Test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, was attacked with men using a rocket-propelled grenade, other grenades, and automatic rifles. At least six Pakistani policemen protecting the bus were killed in the ensuing gunfight and several cricketers were wounded, though none of them seriously. The bus driver appears to have driven the bus through the gunfire to safety, an action which probably saved many lives. The Sri Lanka team was flown out of the city straight away and is leaving Pakistan forthwith.
An Interserve Partner in Lahore wrote this update on Tuesday morning:
"Liberty is an area very close to where several of us live, and a very busy route. The terrorists, whoever they are, are still on the loose and I hear that they are still active, though only the local channels are carrying that so far.
We are all staying home and waiting for things to settle down - though how much they settle if the perpetrators stay free, I don't know. This is an area which rarely sees this sort of thing. Their motives are not clear - except that it's high profile and got them lots of airtime. And this has finished off the prospects for international cricket in Pakistan, as if the country's image wasn't badly enough tarnished already.
Thanks for your prayers for this city, and especially for the families of the policemen who were killed in the shooting."
Please do pray for everyone involved in this attack and particularly for the families of the policemen who were killed. Pray for stability and peace in Pakistan – this seems to be the latest in a long line of terrorist attacks in Pakistan in recent months so please do pray for a return to safety and security. Pray too that the people that planned and perpetrated this attack will be swiftly caught and that terrorists would somehow encounter Jesus and renounce violence.