Peace essential for peoples of Pak, India: Musharraf
	NEW DELHI: Former president Gen. (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf Saturday said Pakistan and India are facing the common threat of terrorism. Addressing a seminar in the Indian capital, he said the terrorist elements are present in both the countries and the need of the hour is for the moderate people to stand against them. “I am standing for standing for peoples of both the countries and for peace,” Pervez Musharraf said adding “peace is essential for the peoples of Pakistan and India.”

	Nawas vows to root out ‘politics of hypocrisy, fraud’
	FAISALABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif Saturday said he would not sit in rest until he roots out what he called the politics of hypocrisy and fraud. Addressing a public meeting in Faisalabad, Nawaz Sharif said the real court of people is before me right here. He said the parliament should represent this parliament of people ‘that is here in front of me.’ We do not accept the Supreme Court of Islamabad, he said. The PML-N Chief said Shahbaz Sharif is the constitutional chief minister of Punjab. He said he cannot see Pakistan People’s Party getting weaker and invited PPP workers to come and participate in his rally. Nawaz Sharif pointed out that a whole year passed but no progress was made towards getting to the perpetrators of Ms. Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. He said Pervez Musharraf tried to meet him when he visited Mecca and other places outside Pakistan but “we never met him because he (Pervez Musharraf) violated the law and the Constitution of our country.” “I faced a seven-year long exile but never joined hands with the violators of law and the Constitution.” He recalled that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto once said that Pakistan flag will be hoisted again at the residence of the deposed chief justice. “We never wanted to take oath from Pervez Musharraf but we had to take that painful step on the demand of Zardari Sahab.” Nawaz Sharif said he is still ready to for reconciliation which, he said, will not be for ministries and personal interests but for the 160 million people of Pakistan. “Reconciliation will only be for the restoration of judges and the future generations of the country,” he asserted. He said those who damaged Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s monument cannot be members of Muslim League. We tried a lot to find these people but failed, he added. He asked the PPP workers to come and take out a rally along with him for demanding arrest of the slayers of Ms. Bhutto. Nawaz Sharif on the occasion questioned the participants of the rally as to who broke the promises made on August 5 and 7? Who made mockery of the judiciary? Who is following the policies of a dictator? Who is turning a blind eye to the people’s mandate? Who snatched prime minster’s powers? Who is indulging in political wheeling dealing? The participants replied to these questions by taking the name of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Eight dead in attack on Sri Lanka cricketers in Lahore

LAHORE: Gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's cricket team in a gun and grenade assault Tuesday in Lahore that killed eight people including six police personnel and wounded five members of the squad. "The plan was apparently to kill the Sri Lankan team but the police came in the way and forced the attackers to run away," Lahore's police chief Habib-ur Rehman said. "They appeared to be well-trained terrorists," he told reporters. Rehman said up to 12 gunmen ambushed the team's convoy close to the Gaddafi stadium with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons, unleashing a fierce gun battle with security forces. The gunmen fled after the ambush, triggering a giant manhunt. Witnesses said the up market district of Lahore, home to many designer boutiques, was transformed into a battle zone as gunmen hidden behind trees opened fire in a sophisticated, coordinated attack. Police officials said two civilians and six policemen guarding the players were killed in the attack as the team was heading for the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan. Sri Lankan officials said seven team players and a coach were wounded. Star batsman Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavithana were treated in hospital but out of danger, while Jayawardene, vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilina Thushara and Suranga Lokumal had minor injuries. Assistant coach Paul Farbrace, a British national, was also hurt. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani also strongly condemned the "terrorist" attack and ordered an inquiry. Two air force helicopters evacuated the Sri Lankan team from the stadium to Lahore airport, from where they were to be flown home late Tuesday. Experts defused two car bombs and recovered grenades, three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of explosives, a pistol and a detonating cable. Blood stained the front seats of a vehicle used by Pakistan's elite force that had been assigned to protect the team, the van raked with gunfire with its wheels shot up and radio system disabled. The attack has sparked condemnation from around the world and threw a massive question mark over the future of the game in Pakistan -- a co-host for the 2011 cricket World Cup.

Police hunt gunmen after attack on Sri Lankan cricket team

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-- Police in Lahore have launched an intensive search for at least 12 gunmen believed to be responsible for Tuesday's deadly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team which left six security personnel dead and eight players hurt -- including two with gunshot wounds.

Police gather beside the wreckage of a police van in Lahore, Pakistan, following Tuesday's attack.

The Sri Lankan players were traveling by bus to the city's Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the second test match against Pakistan at around 9 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) when the attack occurred.

Video footage showed several gunmen with automatic weapons firing on the convoy from a roundabout, Liberty Square, close to the stadium.

Pakistani Information Minister Sherry Rahman told CNN the attackers were still at large as police launched an intensive hunt for the assailants.

Witnesses described the scene of the ambush as "pandemonium."

Images showed police vehicles with their windscreens punctured by bullets and their front seats stained with blood. A body lies in the road in front of one bullet-shattered van.

"I heard two loud explosions outside the stadium and a lot of AK-47 fire," said Hamish Roberts, a cameraman who was inside the stadium at the time. See a map of where the attack took place »

The driver of the bus said a police car and two security vans at the front of the convoy had borne the brunt of the gunmen's assault. Watch footage of the gunmen staging their attack »

Among the cricketers, batsmen Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera sustained the worst injuries.

Paranavitana, 26, was hit in the chest while Samaraweera, 32, suffered a bullet wound to the leg, according to Chamra Ranaveera, a Sri Lankan embassy attache. Both men are in a stable condition.

Six other players -- team captain Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Thilan Thushara and Mahela Jayawardene -- and assistant coach Paul Fabrece were also hurt, along with one coach and 10 security staff. Read profiles of the wounded players »

"This is a very well-planned attack," security official Nadeem Sayed told CNN. "The team is very much scared."

Cricket manager Charlie Austin, who represents six of the Sri Lankan squad, said none of the players' injuries were life-threatening.

"The guys are shocked. They are recovering at the moment," Austin told CNN. "Thankfully they've only suffered minor injuries. They're keen to leave Pakistan and get back to their families as soon as possible." Watch Austin describe the mood of the Sri Lankan players after the attack »

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the squad would be flown home to Colombo later Tuesday. Bogollagama is traveling to Pakistan for talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sri Lankan officials have ruled out Tamil separatists, who have been waging a bloody civil war on the Southeast Asian island.

Witnesses who saw the attack praised the response of security officials.

Pakistan attack on cricket convoy

Several members of the Sri Lankan cricket team have been injured after gunmen fired on a convoy carrying cricketers in Pakistani city of Lahore.

The convoy was carrying Pakistani and Sri Lankan cricketers to a ground, which is hosting a Test match between the two sides.

Reports quoting Sri Lankan authorities say at least two Sri Lankan players were seriously injured in the incident.

Unconfirmed reports say some policemen had been killed by the shooting.

The incident happened on the road from the teams' hotel to the Gadaffi stadium, where a Test match is being held.

"It appears that our team bus was targeted on the way to the match. It appears that four of our cricketers have been injured and taken to the hospital," a Sri Lankan cricket official told an Indian TV channel from Colombo.