Pakistan: Lahore under Siege, Hostage Crisis Engulfs the City
By Animesh Roul
Almost a month after the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers, Lahore city experienced another major Terrorist strike. On Monday, March 30, at least five grenade blasts reportedly took place inside a police training center in Manawan, Lahore and at the same time, around 25 armed terrorists stormed the center, taking around 500 inmates hostage.
According to reports, terrorists wearing police uniforms and carrying loads of arms and ammunition have entered into the police center, firing and lobbing grenades indiscriminately. While the fatality figure is likely to increase, as per the latest media reports, 20 people have been killed and more than 50 others injured thus far.
According to Geo TV News, Pakistan Army and paramilitary already taken position around the police training center and a gun battle is undergoing now. The injured policemen have been evacuated from training facility.
The terrorists tactics and the fidayeen style operation suggests Lashkar e Taiba (LeT)’s and Jaish-e-Muhammad's (JeM) hand in the siege. However, involvement of foreign Jihadists (there are plenty: Uzbeks and Afghans), Taliban and Al Qaeda elements can’t be ruled out.
Attacking a police academy clearly shows that terrorists have undermined a vital State institution which maintains law and order and which stands for the security of common people in the country. Terrorists, arguably, wants to prove that they are more powerful than security forces and nobody’s safe under this present administration. However, the demand from terrorists is yet to come while the hostage crisis is persisting.
