Chinks in Pak security armour revealed

New Delhi: After two days of having witnessed a brazen attack in the heart of Lahore, many ask if the ghastly attack could have been avoided. The Sri Lankans were promised the highest level of security but what was provided was far short of what VIPs in the subcontinent are usually given.

Colonel Mahendra Pratap Choudhary said, “Traffic is stopped on both sides of the road, there is a policeman posted at an interval of 100-200 metres to keep a watch that nobody rushes through. All the buildings with any opening like doors and windows are warned to keep closed.”

But let alone the route being sanitised, the players' convoy, with only one security vehicle, was virtually open to attack.

Col Choudhary added, “If there is a main bus, then in the front and rear, there have to be protection jeeps. Also on the four sides, these jeeps have to be there. In the front there is a pilot and in the rear, there is an ambulance. On the sides of the vehicle are armed motorcycles, so they can immediately come into action.”

But in Lahore, the terrorists breached security in using an cycle-rickshaw and ran around with guns blazing. It was obvious that traffic was not blocked on the route.

“Some of the people were saying that the policemen tried to run away. They did not take action, which means that they are not trained security people,” Choudhary added.

After firing away for nearly 24 minutes, the terrorists could simply walk away from the scene, unharmed.

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