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Radical secret of cricket hero
Kiran Randhawa5 Mar 2009
The driver of the Sri Lanka cricketers' bus, who averted a massacre after driving them to safety under a hail of bullets, is the brother of an extremist killed fighting for a jihadist militant group.
Mehar Mohammed Khalil's younger brother Shakil died in Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1995 and is considered a "martyr" by his family.
The 38-year-old driver is also a supporter of Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamic political party that wants to impose Sharia law in Pakistan and use the army to kick India out of Kashmir.
Despite his beliefs, the father of two, who earns 15,000 rupees (£132) a month, has been hailed a hero for preventing the slaughter of the cricket team after gunmen ambushed his bus as he was driving them to the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore for the second Test against Pakistan on Tuesday. Six policeman and the driver of a bus carrying match officials were among those killed.
Seven players and a British assistant coach were injured.
Mr Khalil has told how he saw a gunman shoot dead a police outrider in front, while two more gunmen opened fire on his right. A fourth militant fired a rocket which missed the bus and another threw a grenade which did not detonate.
Then another stepped out of a white car in front and opened fire with a Kalashnikov, he said. At that point, the players who dived to the floor of the vehicle screamed "Go! Go! Go.
Mr Khalil sped off and careered into the barrier of the stadium to get them to safety.
He said: "I felt that the Sri Lankan team were guests of our country and it was a matter of honour. That was the only thought in my mind. I don't know if I'm a hero or not but I did it for my country."
He was rewarded yesterday with 500,000 rupees from the authorities for his bravery.
Like most Pakistanis, he believes the terrorists are from India. He said: "Their complexions were Indian-type. They were definitely not Pakistani."
Police in Pakistan have detained two dozen suspects over the attacks but there has not been any breakthrough in the case.
Today police released sketches of four of the gunmen wanted for the atrocity. The 14-strong gang all escaped after opening fire.
They were produced from the accounts of a car owner and a rickshaw driver; the men appear to be between 25 and 30 years old, officers said.
The government of the eastern province of Punjab, which has been criticised for failing to provide adequate security, offered a $125,000 (£88,000) reward.
A Pakistani official said that "very vivid" security lapses allowed the gunmen to escape.
His admission followed allegations by Chris Broad, the English cricket referee caught up in the attack, who accused the Pakistani authorities of leaving them as "sitting ducks", saying police fled the scene after shooting began.
Video from the area showed the gunmen sauntering down a deserted side street, apparently leaving with no fear of pursuit.
Other Pakistani officials have defended the security measures, citing the six policemen guarding the convoy who were killed.
Reader views (1)
Now that the Taleban has a foothold in northern Pakistan and doing the usual murdering of all people and oppressing women and banning schools for girls and going back to the dark ages again like they did in Afghanistan with the help of foreign terrorist etc. What's going to happen when the Taleban takes over Pakistan and have their hands on it's nuclear arsenal ?
- Joe, Swanley Kent, 05/03/2009 14:45
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