Srinagar, Mar 4 : All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders on Wednesday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricket players during the second Test match at Lahore in Pakistan.

Terming the incident as a ''heinous act of terrorism'', senior leader of Hurriyat Conference Javed Ahmed Mir said, "We are saddened at the attack on these cricket players. If the players are attacked and injured with bullets, then it''s an inhuman act and any condemnation is less."

The attack was also criticised widely by people in Kashmir, who demanded that the perpetrators of the attack should be punished.

"All of us condemn the attack on Sri Lankan cricket players in Pakistan because we know that these players are not there to wage any war. They bring the message of friendship through the game. Those responsible for the attack should be brought to book because all these things would only bring bad name for the country," noted Showkat Malik, a local.

Meanwhile, many others felt that such incidents would only make players reluctant to tour Pakistan for the coming cricket matches.

The Sri Lankan team returned back to their homeland early on Wednesday after the second test match against Pakistan was cancelled following the attack.

Six members of the Sri Lankan team and a British coach were wounded in Tuesday''s daylight attack as their bus approached the cricket stadium in Lahore.

It was the first major attack on an international sporting team since Palestinian militants attacked Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

Also, in 2002, a bomb had exploded in Karachi when the New Zealand cricket team was touring Pakistan claiming 13 lives including 11 French naval personnel.

Sri Lanka had decided to tour Pakistan, when both Australia and India had refused to visit there sighting security issues. (ANI)