Colombo, March 9 (IANS) Ending speculations in some quarters in Pakistan, Sri Lanka Monday firmly said there was “no Indian involvement” in the terror attack on its cricketers in Lahore last week but said the Tamil Tigers could be involved.
“There is no Indian involvement (in the attack on cricketers in Lahore),” Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told reporters here.
“In fact, India has been helping us in our fight against terrorism. We have conveyed this to Pakistan,” he said, adding that Islamabad investigating the attack has promised “an interim report on the investigation next week”.
A team of 12 terrorists ambushed and sprayed bullets and fired rocket propelled grenades at the convoy carrying Sri Lankan players to the Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. The cricketers were to play the third day of the second and last Test against the host Pakistan Tuesday last week.
Seven players and the team’s assistant coach were injured and six Pakistani police officials, who were providing protection to the bus carrying the players, were killed in the attack that shook the entire cricketing world.
Minister Bogollagama, however, maintained Sri Lanka’s stand that the Tamil Tiger rebels’ involvement in this attack cannot be ruled out.
“We are not ruling out links (of the attack) with the (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) LTTE. The LTTE are known to have links with international terrorist groups. Our initial suspicions are on the LTTE,” Bogollagama said.
Sri Lanka’s middle-order batsmen Thilakaratne Dilshan, who narrowly survived without injuries in the Lahore terror attack, has said the security cover for the two-match Test series was relatively relaxed when compared to the one-dayers they played in Pakistan a month before.