It proved costly for the Pakistani football team to go to Quetta. While traveling from Karachi to Quetta, gunmen stopped the Karachi District West football team on the Balochistan Highway and robbed the players and passengers in the vehicle. The team was going to participate in the Chief Minister Gold Cup tournament.
The incident occurred between Mastung and Sariab on Monday evening. About a dozen armed people stopped the team bus on the highway. The gunmen ordered all passengers to deboard the bus and then robbed the players of their mobile phones, cash and other valuables. Some passengers were also beaten up.
Team manager Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave information about the incident. The armed men ordered all the passengers to get off the bus. Then they snatched all our mobile phones, cash and other valuables. He said some passengers were hit on the head with the butt of a gun. When the team reached Quetta after the robbery, the players had no money to meet their expenses. The team informed the Sports Minister of Balochistan about this incident. The minister immediately intervened and arranged for the players' daily allowance.
already suspected
But this incident has raised serious questions on the security arrangements. Sindh Football Association secretary Muhammad Azam said the team was warned about security concerns before traveling to Quetta. “We did not send the Sindh team and other clubs in Karachi were also advised to avoid going to Quetta by bus or train due to the poor security situation. However, the Karachi West team went and what we feared happened. According to Azam, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Football Association also did not send their teams to the tournament.
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