Adil Najam
In yet another brutal attack on Pakistan, terrorists targeted a police training facility near Lahore. In many ways the attack has similarities to the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, also in Lahore.. News reports suggest a rising toll of dead and injured.
In a recent update, the siege of the compound has ended. Four of the militants have been caught and four have died. One hopes that investigations with the ones caught will lead to more concrete information, especially about the planning of these and other (past and future) attacks on Pakistan (more updates in comments section).
In an eye-witness account recieved by email, on an email list, Farooq Tariq writes:
I am writing this at 10am on 30 March 2009.
As I arrived back from my usual morning walk around 7am, a massive round of firing was heard at my place. I asked my partner Shahnaz, if she noticed that, she said maybe, a routine matter and such incident of firing is taking place almost daily. Then another round of firing started, I told her this is very unusual. It went on for some time.
I live near Jallo Park, and not for from G T Road that leads to Wahgha border. Manawan Police Training Center is on this GT Road and just opposite to our place, around a kilometer away.
I turned to the television, there was not any mention of this firing, but the firing was still going on. Around 7.30am, some private television stations started telling that firing and some blast is heard at Manawan Police Training center and no more details.
Manawan is name of a village at the suburbs of Lahore and now it has become almost part of Lahore. Just opposite Manawan, a police training center is located on main GT Road Lahore. One of the newly formed trade union of New Khan Transport Workers Union Office is just opposite this police training center. Next to this center is a bus depot of private bus company New Khan Transport. We have gone to this office many times. The area is newly built.
Now at 10am, nearly after three hours of the firing, It is now clear from all the reports that terrorist have struck at this center killing at least 20 police trainees and injuring over 100. The firing is still on. I can hear that even at my home, a kilometer away from the scene.
Rangers and special police squad have come to the area while still they are not yet abe to bring out all the injured from inside the compound. The private television channels are broadcasting scenes showing police men bodies lying at the morning police parade ground. The terrorist are still inside the compound.
I just called Kashif Aslam, a youth leader of Labour Party Pakistan Lahore, he lives very next to this Center, he told me that he heard massive blasts and then firing for a long time. He said many hundreds of people are watching the whole episode from their roof tops around the area. He had already left the area from back streets as the whole area is cordoned off already and GT Road a closed.
It seems that it is the same terrorist gang that had attacked the Sri Lanka cricket team on 2 March in Lahore. The gang is around ten persons who had all the latest arms and ammunitions. GEO tv reported that the gang has bags on their shoulders full of arms. They have now occupied roof top of the building. Although, police helicopter is seen flying over the compound.
After the attack on Sri Lanka cricket team, police had failed to arrest a single person involved in the attack. They group has now targeted a police center, it is believed that the numbers of the killed will be higher what is reported at present.
Earlier report in The News:
At least 20 people have been killed and 25 injured when gunmen attack police training center in Manawan near Wagah border on Monday. Attackers take positions inside police training center. They are wearing police uniforms and carrying backpacks and guns.
Rangers and police take positions around police training center. Army has also deployed to aid police. Emergency enforced in the hospitals. Police helicopters hover training center. The bodies and injured have been shifted to different hospitals. According to DIG Mumtaz Sukhara, the exact number of attackers yet to be known. Police have directed people to stay away from training center, however, large number of people present outside training center to support security forces. They are chanting slogans in favour of Punjab police and Pakistan Army.
Earlier, a series of at least five blasts were heard at the training centre at Manawan, and the explosions were followed by an exchange of fire between the attackers and policemen that is still underway. The officials said about 850 trainee policemen were present within at the facility.Reports said the gunmen lobbed several grenades as they launched their attack and then fired indiscriminately.
Week after week, month after month, one tires of writing again and again about these brutal murderous attacks on Pakistan and Pakistanis. But the pain does not lessen with familiarity to such news. The anger only grows.
OpenTable Release Top 100 Dining Hot Spots.
Food & Beverage Close-Up April 2, 2012 OpenTable, a provider of online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants, announced the 2012 Diners’ Choice Award winners for Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the United States.
In a release, the company noted that these awards reflect the combined opinions of nearly 5 million reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Winning restaurants are scattered throughout 18 states and Washington, D.C. California is king of the hot spot restaurants, taking 25 places on the list of winners. New York comes in second, with 20 winning restaurants. The sunny state of Florida is chock full of trendy restaurants, handily placing third with 15 winners. Illinois accounts for 11 honorees, followed by Nevada with seven standouts and Texas with six. Georgia restaurants earned three places while Tennessee boasts two. Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington D.C. are also represented.
“Going to any of these dining hot spots feels like you’re at the hippest party in town, only you don’t need an invitation just a reservation,” says Caroline Potter, OpenTable’s Chief Dining Officer. “Beyond the buzz of innovative food and cocktails, each restaurant has electricity in the air that creates communal excitement. Diners feel like they’re part of an exclusive experience.” The Diners’ Choice Awards for the Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants is generated from nearly 5 million reviews collected from verified OpenTable diners between March 1, 2011 and February 29. All restaurants with a minimum number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of qualifying reviews for which “hot spot” was selected as a special feature.
-2012 Diners’ Choice Award Winners for Top 100 Hot Spot Restaurants in the U.S.
25 Lusk San Francisco, California Abe & Arthur’s New York, New York Asellina Ristorante New York, New York B.B. King’s Blues Club Memphis, Tennessee The Bazaar by Jose Andres Los Angeles, California Beaumarchais New York, New York Beauty and Essex New York, New York BOA Steakhouse West Hollywood, California Bond Street Social Baltimore, Maryland Broadway by Amar Santana Laguna Beach, California Buccan Palm Beach, Florida Buddakan New York, New York Burlap San Diego, California Campo Reno, Nevada Catch New York, New York Chino Latino Minneapolis, Minnesota Cleo-SBE Los Angeles, California CO-OP Food & Drink New York, New York The Darby New York, New York Del Frisco’s Grille Dallas, Texas Departure Restaurant and Lounge Portland, Oregon do Restaurant at the View Atlanta, Georgia Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa Dallas, Texas Drunken Fish Kansas City, Missouri Enso Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar Charlotte, North Carolina Fig & Olive West Hollywood, California Geisha House Hollywood, California Gilt Bar Chicago, Illinois Girl & the Goat Chicago, Illinois GT Fish and Oyster Chicago, Illinois HUB 51 Chicago, Illinois The Hurricane Club New York, New York Imperial No. Nine New York, New York ink. Los Angeles, California Jaleo-The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada Katana West Hollywood, California Katsuya-Brentwood-SBE Brentwood, California Katsuya-Hollywood-SBE Los Angeles, California Katsuya-LA LIVE Los Angeles, California Katsuya-Laguna Beach-SBE Laguna Beach, California Koi West Hollywood, California Lavo Las Vegas, Nevada Lavo NYC New York, New York Linger Denver, Colorado The Lion New York, New York Lost Society Washington, D.C. go to site beauty and essex nyc go to site beauty and essex nyc
Lulu California Bistro Palm Springs, California Manhattan Beach Post Manhattan Beach, California Marble Lane New York, New York Maudes liquor bar Chicago, Illinois Meat Market Miami Beach, Florida Mercadito Chicago, Illinois Mercato di Vetro West Hollywood, California Mr. Chow-Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, California Mr. Chow-Miami Miami, Florida N9NE Steakhouse Las Vegas, Nevada Nada Cincinnati, Ohio Nikko Japanese Restaurant Charlotte, North Carolina Nisen Woodbury, New York Nobu Miami Miami Beach, Florida The Office Delray Beach, Florida Paris Club Chicago, Illinois Picca Los Angeles, California Prato Winter Park, Florida Prime Italian Miami Beach, Florida Private Social Dallas, Texas The Pump Room Chicago, Illinois Red Ginger Traverse City, Michigan Red Lantern Boston, Massachusetts Red Rooster Harlem New York, New York Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar Boca Raton, Florida Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar Fort Lauderdale, Florida ROKA AKOR Chicago, Illinois Searsucker San Diego, California Sino Restaurant & Lounge San Jose, California The Standard Grill New York, New York The Stanton Social New York, New York STK-Los Angeles West Hollywood, California STK-Miami Miami, Florida STK-NYC-Meatpacking New York, New York STK-The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada SUGARCANE raw bar grill Miami, Florida Sunda Chicago, Illinois SUSHISAMBA dromo Miami Beach, Florida SUSHISAMBA strip Las Vegas, Nevada Tao New York, New York Tao Restaurant and Nightclub Las Vegas, Nevada Tavernita Chicago, Illinois Toku Modern Asian Manhasset, New York Triniti Houston, Texas Trio Restaurant Palm Springs, California Twist Atlanta, Georgia TWO urban licks Atlanta, Georgia Uchi Houston, Texas Uchiko Austin, Texas Virago Nashville, Tennessee Wang’s in the Desert Palm Springs, California Yardbird Southern Table & Bar Miami Beach, Florida YOLO Fort Lauderdale, Florida Zuma Japanese Restaurant Miami, Florida Complete List:
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The BBC is reporting that Baitullah Mehsud of TTP has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7973540.stm
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials continue to display a dangerous level of incompetence and nonchalance, making contradictory and off-the-cuff remarks about what transpired at the Academy, giving rise to all kinds of conspiracy theories.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7973901.stm
Clueless conduct of the officials seems familiar after each terrorist hit, making a mockery of Pak officials and emboldening the attackers.
There are reports that they have now caught a few other people related to this attack. I do hope that this will lead to some real information to start getting to roots of this.