Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari while assuring that all relevant information regarding the investigation process will be shared with the Government of Sri Lanka said that they were looking at a positive outcome that will lead to the identification of the perpetrators of the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore which will serve the concerns of both Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

He made this assurance during a meeting with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in Islamabad yesterday.

While appreciating the gesture of the President of Sri Lanka in sending the Cricket Team to Pakistan, President Zardari affirmed the full support of the Government of Pakistan to deal with the common enemy, terrorism in the strongest possible manner.

Following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, President Mahinda Rajapaksa advised the Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan.

The Foreign Minister conveyed the deepest sympathy on behalf of the President, the Government and people of Sri Lanka, to the families of those who fell victim to the terrorist attack in Lahore on March 03, targeting the Sri Lankan Cricket Team. The Foreign Minister added that the victims sacrificed their lives for the protection of the lives of the members of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team.

Condemning the terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms, the Minister Bogollagama expressed the hope that the Government of Pakistan will take all possible steps to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Foreign Minister also extended his profound appreciation to the Government of Pakistan for facilitating the safe and early return of the Cricket Team to Sri Lanka.

“We could view this attack as an act of terrorism launched against two sovereign countries in one location. Although Sri Lanka has been a victim of terrorism for more than two decades this was the first ever occasion that Sri Lankan nationals have been targeted outside Sri Lanka. Targeting our Cricketers is a cause for deep concern and we need to look into this matter thoroughly to understand the motive behind the attack,” said Minister Bogollagama.

Foreign Minister said: “Sri Lanka is a country that has been at the forefront in combating terrorism. We are now on the last stage of eliminating terrorism from our land”. The Foreign Minister further noted, “in spite of all the efforts taken by individual countries, terrorism has elevated itself to the extent of targeting more than one country in a single incident. Therefore, the international community should take this situation more seriously”.

Foreign Minister Bogollagama emphasized that the Government of Sri Lanka owes to the Sri Lankan people that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack are apprehended and brought to justice and expressed the hope that the Government of Pakistan would do its upmost in this regard.