Terrorists Open Fire During Cricket Match in Orakzai District in Pakistan

A cricket match in Pakistan had to be stopped after an incident of terrorism which saw shooting at Kohat Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.

A report in The Daily Star said, a large number of spectators had gathered for the final of the Amn Cricket tournament at the Dradar Mamazai area in Ismailzai tehsil in the upper part of Orakzai district.

Media and political workers were also present at the ground for the final.

According to witnesses as cited by The News International, ‘no sooner had the match started the terrorists opened indiscriminate firing on the playground from the nearby hills.’ The players, spectators and journalists, they added, saved their lives by fleeing the scene.

A spectator said that the firing was so intense that the organisers were left with no choice but to end the game.

Everyone ran for cover when the firing started from the nearby hills, he added. However, no loss of life or injury was reported in the incident.

Orakzai District Police Officer Nisar Ahmad Khan said that there were reports about the presence of terrorists in the area and that the police along with Orakzai Scouts and Frontier Corps would now launch a joint operation against the terrorists and other criminals.

Before last year’s home series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan faced a decade-long exile from playing Tests at home following the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team’s coach and security convoy in 2009.