A few days after the devastating Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, I was talking with a Sri Lankan friend at my home in Riyadh about how the attacks had shocked a thriving multicultural society that had moved beyond decades of ethnic strife. The optimism with which she described her country’s response – one of unique bravery and maturity – epitomises the spirit of her island nation.
One unforgettable example of this was when the Sri Lankan cricket team were targeted in a terrorist attack in Lahore in 2009. Six police officers and a driver escorting the match officials were killed as the terrorists opened fire with machine guns, grenades and rockets. Sri Lankan cricket players Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga Paranavitana were seriously injured in the attack.
It is worth remembering what happened next in the wake of the 2009 Lahore attack in light of the Easter Sunday massacres.
In spite of the horror of their ordeal the team members responded with unprecedented calm and magnanimity. The Sri Lankan cricket captain Mahela Jayawardena declared his gratitude to the Pakistani bus driver, Mohammad Khalil, who managed to drive the team away to safety by crashing through the barricades of the cricket stadium. “We owe the team bus driver our lives for his remarkable bravery in the face of direct gunfire … Had he not had the courage and presence of mind to get the bus moving after the initial attack then we’d have been a far easier target for the terrorists.” In so many ways, this generosity of spirit in the most terrible of circumstances speaks volumes about the people of Sri Lanka.
“While we struggle to comprehend the depths of depravity people can descend to, and while we all grieve in unison, we need to find the strength to stand together as Sri Lankans; shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart. Together we can get through. Divided we have but little hope,” Sangakkara
Tillekeratne Dilshan risked his life by raising his head up to assess the situation, ordering the driver to reverse and guiding him as he regained control of the besieged vehicle.
The equanimity displayed by the Sri Lankan cricket team following this deadly attack caught international press attention with Guardian columnist David Hopps stating, “After such an ordeal the composure of the Sri Lankan cricket team has been extraordinary. There have been no recriminations, no histrionics, just a team grateful to have survived. Soon after they had fled for safety into the stadium, Murali was seen sipping a calming cup of tea. Sri Lankan tea manufacturers should put the image on every packet.”
Just before the Sri Lankan team were evacuated from Pakistan in a plane provided by then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Pakistani cricket officials went to the air base to apologise to them. The Sri Lankan team told them that they were not angry and the attack had nothing to do with the Pakistani people. In today’s world of reactionary politics, such a response deserves admiration.
The Sri Lankan team had come to Pakistan in 2009 in a show of solidarity with Pakistan and confidence in its security arrangements. Several teams including Australia and India refused to play in Pakistan owing to security concerns. Instead of lashing out at the the fatal lapse in the security arrangements provided by Pakistan, which would have been an eminently justifiable reaction, their response was one of restraint and conciliation. Kumar Sangakkara who suffered a shrapnel injury to the chest said, “This incident is unfortunate. I don’t regret coming to Pakistan but I regret the incident.”
Perhaps this is because through their own difficult experience with terrorism, the Sri Lankan team understood the fear, hatred and divisions that terrorism seeks to create. They knew better than to fall into this trap. Perhaps too, they understood that their words and actions resonate far beyond the cricket field into the realm of public opinion, international politics and diplomatic relations.
Following the Easter Sunday massacres in Sri Lanka, Sangakkara’s response was one of courage and unity, “While we struggle to comprehend the depths of depravity people can descend to, and while we all grieve in unison, we need to find the strength to stand together as Sri Lankans; shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart. Together we can get through. Divided we have but little hope.” In these polarised times, his words represent a galvanising force not just for Sri Lanka but for the entire world.
The writer is the founding editor of Blue Chip magazine