| I know. We had it yesterday, but that was just the headline. And the injured count has doubled. And we need a good Monday morning laff... |
 Hundreds of radicals protesting against the participation of women in a marathon race hurled stones and bricks at competitors, and clashed with police in eastern Pakistan yesterday, leaving at least 18 people injured, police said. About 2,000 men, women and children were taking part in the three-kilometer race when more than 200 supporters of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), launched their attack, police official Arif Mushtaq said.
| Three kilometers is a pretty short marathon. But I guess we know what they mean... |
The attackers, wielding sticks and throwing stones, blocked the race course and chased competitors away as they approached a sports stadium in Gujranwala, a city about 200 km southeast of the capital Islamabad, where they were expected to finish race, Mushtaq said. The attackers also set fire to cars and broke windows nearby.
| Sticks and stones, do in fact, break your bones. And setting your car on fire adds insult to injury... |
Policemen who tried to protect the runners also came under attack, he said, adding that officers fired gunshots into the air and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the attackers. Eighteen people, including eight policemen, were reported injured in the violence. It was unclear if any of the competitors were injured, but Qazi Hameedullah, a lawmaker from the six-party religious coalition who allegedly led the protesters, was among the wounded, Mushtaq said.
| Seriously, I hope. Is he on life support, maybe? |
He said police detained 25 people for their involvement in the attacks, but did not say if Hameedullah was arrested. Mushtaq said MMA activists resented female participation alongside men in the sporting event, and they wanted to get inside the stadium to attack participants. "If the attackers had managed to get inside the stadium it would have been a disaster," Mushtaq said.
| Sounds like it was anyway... |
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