Pak Prez vows to deal with Lanka team attackers with iron hand

Describing the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team as a serious setback that has undermined cricket in Pakistan, president Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday, vowed to trace the perpetrators and deal with them with "iron hands".

Zardari conveyed this to Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohita Bogollagama, who is visiting Pakistan as a special envoy of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa in the wake of the audacious gun and grenade attack on the island's cricket team in Lahore on Tuesday.

The president said Pakistan intended to deal with the perpetrators of the attack "with iron hands". Progress has been made in the investigation into the attack and the perpetrators will be exposed and brought to justice, he said.

Zardari also expressed sympathy with Sri Lankan cricket team, especially the seven of its members who were injured in the attack.

Eight persons, including six policemen, were killed and over 20 others injured when a dozen heavily armed terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team's bus near a stadium in Lahore.

Zardari said the attack was a serious setback that had undermined cricket in Pakistan. The attack underlined the fact that terrorism is not confined to any country and is a global problem which needs to be rooted out through cooperative international efforts, he added.

Noting that Pakistan and Sri Lanka are both victims of terrorism, Zardari suggested the two countries hold a workshop to learn from each other's experiences in fighting the menace.

This will help devise a mechanism for enhancing cooperation between the two countries for fighting militancy, he said.

Zardari welcomed the Sri Lankan government's statement that the incident would not cause any restraint on the mutual relationship of the two countries.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka should also jointly devise a mechanism for promoting peace, development and progress in the region, he said.

Bogollagama thanked the Pakistan government for taking all possible steps to evacuate the Sri Lankan team and to provide treatment to the injured players.

He said the close brotherly relations between the two countries are vital for peace, stability and progress in the region.

Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik and senior officers of the Foreign Office also attended the meeting between Zardari and Bogollagama.

The Sri Lankan minister also met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.