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Imran Khan's excuse: foreign hand in Lahore attack
Published on Sat, Mar 07, 2009 at 19:40 in World section
Tags: Sri Lanka Team Attacked, Lahore Attack , London
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London: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan says a "foreign hand" may have planned the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers with a view to hurt Pakistan and end cricket in the country.
"It could be India, Afghanistan, the Tamil Tigers," Khan, 56, was quoted as saying by The Times of London on Saturday.
"The motive is to damage the state of Pakistan and end cricket here. The shocking thing is that there was so little security for the players," Khan said in the interview.
"This attack was guaranteed front-page news everywhere in the world," said the chief of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party (Movement for Justice).
"The perpetrators wanted to portray Pakistan as a chaotic state in the Dark Ages... Pakistan is a resilient country but we have gone from crisis to crisis."
Khan said Pakistani extremists were being made the scapegoats. He said almost all the terrorism taking place in Pakistan since 2004, when its army was sent into the tribal areas, had been suicide attacks.
"Last year there were over 100 suicide attacks but they have a pattern. They are always in retaliation."
He said the attack on cricketers in Lahore this week by gunmen was different.
"They had an escape route--it was well planned. I certainly don't think this was done by ideological terrorists, motivated to blow themselves up."
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Look who's talking? This is same Imran Khan who was crying his heart out when India cancelled their Pakistan tour
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Everyone knows his credibility as an politician. It's a surprise that such comments comes from an educated person like him.
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When will Pakistan ever come to terms with reality?! I would expect a normal Pakistani laymen whose intellect are driven
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Imran has either gne mad or making these statements for next elections or playing in the hands of the militants.if
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It's not that cricket be barred from politics, just that IKhan is in denial of the monster that's devouring his
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