Islamabad - The Pakistani government has come under heavy criticism for slack security arrangements for the Sri Lankan cricket team that narrowly escaped death in a terrorist attack on Tuesday in the eastern city of Lahore.

Former players, opposition politicians, and even a federal minister termed the terrorist attack a serious security lapse, media reports said.

Armed with a rocket launcher, assault rifles and hand grenades, around a dozen gunmen attacked the team's bus at a roundabout less than a kilometre from Gaddafi Stadium in the heart of Lahore, the capital of the eastern province of Punjab, leaving seven Sri Lankan players and their British coach injured.

An even worse tragedy for the team was averted, though, as the bus driver managed to speed toward the stadium. But five elite police officers, a traffic warden and two passers-by were killed in the shoot-out.

The Sri Lankans visited Pakistan when other cricket teams chose to stay away due to the security threat posed by Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.

The visit was scheduled only after Pakistan pledged head-of-state-level security, the Sri Lankan Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge told his country's parliament on Monday.

The foreign dignitaries generally move in armoured vehicles escorted by police commandos. The travel routes are properly secured and guarded by police and the movements are kept secret.

However, unlike the heavy security blanket thrown around the route of the movement of a visiting top leader in Pakistan, only two police vans escorted the Sri Lankan team.

Pakistan Federal Minister for Sports Aftab Jillani held Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, responsible for inadequate security, English daily The News said.

"In case, there is a security lapse, the governor, being the chief executive of the province, is responsible for it," the minister said. Taseer, however, rejected the criticism, saying "our police officers gave their lives to protect the Sri Lankan guests."

Former Punjab chief minister and opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, whose provincial government was dismissed late last month after a controversial court banned him from elected office, claimed a similar possible terror attack was foiled during the one-day match between the two countries on January 24 following a tip-off from the country's intelligence agencies.

But the present government failed to take enough measures to forestall the terrorist attack, he told reporters on Tuesday.

Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan told reporters Wednesday at the Colombo airport after returning from Lahore on a special flight that the security was relatively relaxed for the Lahore test, IANS news wire reported.

"I think that security arrangements for the Test tour was relatively relaxed when compared to the three-match ODI
(One Day International) series. There was a massive security cover for the ODIs, but I think they would have never expected such attacks on cricketers," he was cited as saying. (dpa)