Nose for a nose, ear for an ear

A Pakistani court has ordered the noses and ears of two men cut off after they did the same thing to a young woman whose family spurned one of the men's marriage proposal, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

The anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Lahore said it was applying Islamic law by ordering the punishment.

Lahore prosecutor Chaudhry Ali Ahmed said one of the accused, Sher Mohammad, was a cousin of the 19-year-old woman and wanted to marry her. Her parents refused his proposal.

Sher Mohammad and a friend, Amanat Mohammad, were accused of kidnapping the woman and cutting off her ears and nose in late September in the Raiwind area of Lahore.

The court on Monday also sentenced each man to 50 years in prison and told them to pay fines and compensation to the woman amounting to several thousand dollars, the prosecutor said.

Pakistan's legal system has Islamic elements that sometimes lead to orders for harsh punishments, but the sentences are often overturned and rarely carried out. Serious crimes are often referred to anti-terrorism courts in Pakistan because they move faster.

Violence against women, especially attacks by spurned lovers, also occurs frequently in this impoverished South Asian nation.

The men have seven days to appeal the ruling, Ahmed said.

Wow! Is marrying cousins allowed? What is the custom?
The parents were correct in refusing to let their daughter marry a cousin right?

This is the right punishment!

Pakistan's Politial Crises

Source: The Agenda

Losing control: what the creeping radicalization of Pakistan means for that country, its neighbours and global security.

Fans: 'Cricket loses its innocence in Pakistan'

Source: CNN

There are many articles on CNN that are related to the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus earlier today. This is my favorite one because it about hurting the sport and all of it's fans.

Cricket has long been considered the gentleman's game -- a sport in which the tenets of fair play and respect for authority are so revered that it introduced a colloquialism to describe something unacceptable: "It's just not cricket."

Cricket fans around the world found themselves shaking their heads and muttering just that Tuesday morning, after gunmen in Pakistan opened fire on a bus carrying members of the Sri Lankan national team on their way to a stadium for a match.

At least seven police officers and a driver were killed and at least eight members of the Sri Lankan team were wounded in the well-coordinated attack in the eastern city of Lahore.

No one immediately claimed responsibility.

"The sport that was so important that it helped usher the thawing of tense India-Pakistan relations, the sport that finally led the UK to join the rest of the world in embargoing South Africa during apartheid, it just lost its innocence today," said Razab Chowdhury of Fremont, California.

Sport transcends politics. Throughout periods of war, there have been truces to celebrate sport. The Olympic Truce is the most famous one. Countries that are in isolation such as Cuba and North Korea can still come to world stage in baseball and soccer respectively. In Canada, our most famous series was the 1972 Hockey Summit Series where both Canada and the USSR offered friendship to celebrate hockey during the height of the Cold War. The friendship series wasn't so friendly by the end of it as it became one of the most famous sporting events in history due to it's competitiveness.

Most Pakistanis would agree that before today, an attack at a cricket venue was unthinkable. A cricket venue is sacred ground. And to attack 'guests' makes it even worse. Most politicians and sportsmen thought that no matter how violent terrorist attacks were that sport would be spared. There needs to be a re-think now and Pakistan must be suspended from all cricket competitions for at last one year.

Umpire Ahsan Raza in critical condition
Ramiz Raja: Tough for Pakistan cricket to re-emerge
Pakistan team had narrow escape - Younis

Five Sri Lankan cricketers injured in terror attack in Pakistan

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene is reported to be one of those injured in the ambush

To keep track of live updates, please go to Cricinfo's Live Blog

Source: BBC

At least five members of the Sri Lankan cricket team have been injured in a shooting incident in the Pakistani city of Lahore, a Sri Lankan minister says.

Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge told the BBC said that early reports said indicated that the injuries to five players and a coach were minor.

The incident happened when unidentified gunmen fired on a convoy carrying Sri Lankan and Pakistani cricketers.

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

Sri Lankan media reports said two of the players including Thilan Samaraweera, who scored a double century in the ongoing Test match, have been taken to hospital.

The convoy was carrying Pakistani and Sri Lankan cricketers to the Gaddafi stadium, which is hosting a Test match between the two sides. The third day of play in the Second Test was scheduled to begin.

Source: Cricinfo

Five Sri Lankan players have been injured in a terrorist attack near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Mahela Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana are those being treated in hospital for minor injuries.

The Sri Lankans were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium when their bus was attacked by five armed terrorists near Liberty market. Habibur Rehman, chief commissioner of police, said 12 masked terrorists fired at the Sri Lankan team bus. The gunmen shot at the wheels of the bus and also injured the driver. A grenade was also thrown at the bus but it missed. The incident puts the ongoing second Test and the tour in doubt.

"The bus came under attack as we were driving to the stadium, the gunmen targeted the wheels of the bus first and then the bus," Mahela Jayawardene told Cricinfo. "We all dived to the floor to take cover. About five players have been injured and also Paul Farbrace [a member of the support staff], but most of the injuries appear to be minor at this stage and caused by debris."

Sad isn't it. India were to play in Pakistan for a test series but after the Mumbai attacks, the Indians pulled out and are playing New Zealand instead. Pakistan hadn't played a home test match in 14 months and were desperate for an opponent. Sri Lanka volunteered as a gesture of goodwill to play two test matches. The fist test match went without a hitch and was a draw. The second rest match was underway but as the SL team bus arrived at the stadium for Day 3 it was ambushed. It's so sad that a team gets attacked because of a gesture of goodwill.

The ICC (International Cricket Council) must ban Pakistan indefinitely from all future cricket events.