Pakistan authorities blank out news of suicide attack near Lahore stadium

[Styx]

Pakistani authorities and broadcasters blanked out news of a suicide attack near Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium to ensure that it would not impact a game between the national cricket team and Zimbabwe, the country’s information minister has said.

The attack has raised questions about whether the tour by Zimbabwe, the first by an international side since the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in Lahore in 2009, would continue.

The blast occurred at 9pm Pakistan time on Friday when a day-night match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe was underway. The 50-over match continued uninterrupted and was won by Pakistan.

Information minister Pervaiz Rashid confirmed to the media that the blast near the Gaddafi Stadium which killed two people, including a police officer, was a suicide attack.

Rashid praised the Pakistan Broadcasters Association for "covering up" the news while the match was underway.

Soon after the blast, the Pakistan Cricket Board issued a statement that said it was a "power transformer blast" caused by malfunctioning. TV news channels initially reported there was an explosion close to Gaddafi Stadium but later removed news about the blast off air after it was claimed that an electricity transformer had blown up.

The Pakistan Broadcasters Association decided in conjunction with the information ministry not to report the incident to avert any untoward incident such as a stampede at the stadium, Geo News reported.

More than 20,000 people were in the stadium and panic could have caused a stampede, Rashid said.
The government of Pakistan’s Punjab province has given "presidential" security to the Zimbabwe cricket team to ensure no terror incident takes place during its tour.

Rashid said a sub-inspector lost his life trying to stop the suicide bomber. Six people were injured by the blast at a spot less than a kilometre from the stadium.

"An attempt to attack the Gaddafi Stadium was foiled by the gallantry of a police official, who lost his life while trying to stop the attacker near Kalma Chowk," Rashid told Geo News.

Media reports said policemen stopped the bomber before he could enter the outer wall of the stadium when he blew himself up.

Punjab Police’s Inspector General (Operations) told a news briefing that two people — sub-inspector Abdul Majeed and a civilian identified only as Rizwan — were killed by the blast.

This is the first tour of Pakistan by any international cricket team since the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore's Liberty Chowk, also located near Gaddafi Stadium, in which six members of the visiting team were injured.

Suicide attack near Lahore stadium during Pakistan-Zimbabwe cricket match, authorities blank out news

Sub-inspector killed, six others injured in suicide blast outside Gaddafi Stadium - thenews.com.pk

Suicide blast near Qaddafi Stadium kills sub-inspector - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

Transformer blast near Gaddafi stadium, say police | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[salarsikander]

Hi,
This is what you call bravery! Law enforcement agencies personnel never shy away from giving their life and so do civlians like that boy from kpk

 

[GR!FF!N]

Blocking news for a good reason..I'd say,thanks for blocking news as real news might endanger more lives..

By the way,this attack might be just for seeking attention as it'd get more highlight..

It was ttp who attacked sri Lankan team,right?

 

[ito]

They did the correct thing. Imagine the stampede that would have occurred inside the stadium that was filled with 20000 people. The number of deaths would have been in 100's. That was what the terrorists wanted. Good that they failed.

 

[Menace2Society]

Afghans will just not let Pakistanis play cricket.

 

[I M Sikander]

No attack. There was a blast due to short circuit in the pole mounted transformer.

Fake and fabricated news. As if therte is only Pakistani media in the country and no foreign media.

 

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

Blast outside Gaddafi Stadium a suicide attack: Pakistan's information minister Pervaiz Rashid | Zee News

Suicide blast near Qaddafi Stadium kills sub-inspector - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

 

[I M Sikander]

Afghans will just not let Pakistanis play cricket.

Don't blame any one, just treat every terrorist as a terrorist, no matter what's his identity.

Any way one blast near stadium, better give a shut up call to enemies of Pakistan and its cricket.

 

[Pak_Sher]

Zee News still Indian source biased.

 

[$@rJen]

No attack. There was a blast due to short circuit in the pole mounted transformer.

Fake and fabricated news. As if therte is only Pakistani media in the country and no foreign media.

Pakistan admits blast outside Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium a suicide attack

• PTI

Comment (3) · print · T T


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Reuters
Police inspect the site of a blast that occurred during the cricket match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, near the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on Friday.
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act of terror
Local media had at first reported an explosion close to the stadium, but later took any news about the blast off air.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid has said the blast that killed two people, including a police officer, near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore was a suicide attack.

The blast took place at 9 p.m. on Friday when a day-night match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe was underway.

“An attempt to attack the Gaddafi Stadium was foiled by the gallantry of a police official, who lost his life while trying to stop the attacker near Kalma Chowk,” Mr. Rashid told GeoNews.

A police sub-inspector and a civilian were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up while riding on a rickshaw near Kalma Chowk, less than a kilometre from the Gaddafi stadium.

“The gas cylinder fixed in the auto rickshaw was exploded. Two persons including a policeman were killed in the blast. Forensic samples had been collected from the site to determine the nature of the explosion,” Lahore police chief Amin Wains said.

Four policemen and a civilian were injured in the attack.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where the sub-inspector and the civilian were pronounced dead.

Soon after the blast the Pakistan Cricket Board issued a statement, saying it was a “power transformer blast” that was caused by malfunctioning.

Police had cordoned off the area and no one, including media, was allowed to enter the blast site.

Local electronic media had at first reported an explosion close to Gaddafi stadium (on the claim of PCB) but later took any news about the blast off air after it was claimed that the explosion was caused by an electricity transformer in the area.

Mr. Rashid praised the actions of Pakistan Broadcasters Association for “covering up” the news while the cricket match was underway.

More than 20,000 people were in the stadium and panic could cause stampede, he said.

However, the police had denied that it was a suicide attack.

The Punjab government has given a “presidential” security to the Zimbabwe Cricket Team to ensure no terror incident takes place during its tour.

This is the first tour of any international cricket team to Pakistan since the attack on Sri Lankan Cricket Team by Taliban in March 2009 in Lahore’s Liberty Chowk (near Gaddafi Stadium) in which six members of the visiting team were injured.

 

[unbiasedopinion]

Sane judgement. Media should understand the gravity of situation and broadcast the news which is constructive even if it is negative...Very good decision....

 

[volatile]

Look who is talking all violence and other states on Minorities are never reported in India .Indian`s can do any thing to sabotage cricket in Pakistan ,I say DYB (Die You Bi%c#3S)