http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090086333

Scribes who shot Lahore attack traumatised

Munizae Jehangir
Monday, March 09, 2009, (Lahore)

As the US focus remains on Pakistan, the city of Lahore where the Sri
Lankan team was attacked last week is still shaken.

On March 3, the world woke up to the images of a deadly terror attack
on the Sri Lankan cricket team visiting Lahore.

The images were captured by the crew of Samaa TV, a local channel
whose office is at the liberty market roundabout where the shootout
took place.

"Where I was standing in my office, I could see the whole shootout
clearly. I quickly pulled out my camera and started filming. After I
while I saw that the attackers were walking calmly. They were not
hiding behind a wall or even crawling on the ground, they were very
easily walking around and firing as well. I was very confused at the
time, and out of fear my hands were shaking too, but I continued to
film," said Liaqat Bashir, cameraman, Samaa TV.

The journalists who saw terror target cricket and captured it live are
still traumatised.

"When we started shooting, we saw five people through our cameras. Out
of them, four were busy in shootout on police and the Sri Lankan
cricket team but we saw that there are many other people who were
using a caution fire for changing their direction. So I think there
were more than 10 people who were covering these four from various
sites. And they also helped them in their escape by giving a cover,"
said Shahid Hussain, the reporter of Samaa TV.

As Pakistan becomes more and more unstable, media persons risk their
life and limb to warn and inform the people of the unfolding terror
outside the safety of their walls. Unfortunately these media persons
are not given the protection or support needed in a dangerous
environment such as this.

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