Kathmandu - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa cut short his three-day official visit to Nepal Tuesday after an attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in Pakistan, official reports said.

The Sri Lankan president and his delegation were now scheduled to leave Kathmandu Tuesday evening, a day before his scheduled departure, the official Nepal Television said.

Rajapaksa's meetings with Nepalese politicians as well as his trip to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha in southern Nepal, have been cancelled, the station said.

In a statement Tuesday, Rajapaksa called the attack cowardly and ordered his foreign minister to immediately travel to Pakistan to assist in the team's evacuation and ensure it was safe.

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal also condemned the attack by masked gunmen on the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Pakistani authorities said at least two cricket players were injured and five police officers were killed in the attack. Sri Lanka's sports minister said two players were receiving medical attention and four others received minor injuries.

Earlier Tuesday, the Sri Lankan president met the Nepalese prime minister to discuss a range of issues, including ways to strengthening bilateral relations.

The two countries also signed two agreements on establishing a foreign minister-level commission and direct air service between Kathmandu and Colombo.

The foreign minister-level commission was established to share experiences and seek joint solutions to common problems that the two countries face while the direct flight service was expected to boost tourism.

Rajapaksa arrived in Kathmandu Monday amid tight security.

He is the first head of state to visit the Himalayan nation since Maoists formed a government after emerging as the largest single party in the Constituent Assembly after elections in April. (dpa)