Terror Attacks

The brazen attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore is a rude awakening to the fact that the world is becoming increasingly unsafe place due to the prejudices and hatred of the terrorists. The attacks will undoubtedly have wide ramifications as the terror network has targeted one of the important institutions of sub continental culture i.e. cricket. Politicization of sports is nothing new in this region, yet it is extremely loathsome to witness innocent sports persons become sitting ducks to terrorists.
Nothing can justify blind attacks on the unarmed and innocent. The terrorists, who indulge in senseless killings in the name of Islam, are bringing disrepute to a great religion, whose literal meaning is ‘peace’ and connotes complete submission to God :

“If anyone kills another – except in retaliation for murder or for causing widespread mischief in the land – it is as if he killed the whole of mankind; and whosoever saves a life, it is as if he saved the whole of mankind”

The Holy Koran (5:32)

The cricketers are greatly revered in the subcontinent. They have the stature of demigods. In this volatile region, where violence is everyday reality, one section that remained immune so far was sportspersons, especially the cricketers. Lahore incident has, however, in the words of ICC president, ‘changed the landscape’ of cricket. In fact, one could add that it has changed the ‘entire landscape’ of the subcontinent. This attack proves that the perpetrators have no regard for any institutions of the civilized world. After attacks on the innocent people, journalists, politicians, and now the sport stars, there is hardly anyone who can feel a sense of security.
One of the immediate fallout of this incident is that Pakistan cannot host any more international cricket matches. It is debatable if it can even play in other countries. This in turn will make a huge dent in its economy. With its relations with India already at lowest ebb, irresponsible and misplaced suspicion on its neighbour could further deteriorate the peace of the region. This can only benefit the terror networks. For after the Mumbai attacks, the mutiny in Bangladesh and this sad incident in Lahore, it is getting increasingly clear that one of the motives of the perpetrators could be to destabilize the region.