A decade after 26/11, India asks ‘insincere’ Pakistan for justice & action

In a frontal attack on Pakistan’s duplicity and insincerity on the 10^th anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai terror carnage, India has asked the Government of Pakistan “to give up double standards and to expeditiously bring the perpetrators of the horrific attack to justice.”

In an act of solidarity cutting across the political spectrum, the nation mourned 166 victims of the terror carnage, masterminded and perpetrated by Pakistani terrorists, which also included nationals from 14 countries.

In a deeply disturbing moment etched in the memory of millions of Indians, ten Pakistani terrorists sailed from Karachi to Mumbai to terrorise India’s financial hub and commercial capital, killing 166 people. The 26/11 carnage plunged India-Pakistan ties into a deep freeze and exposed Pakistan’s brazen equivocation in addressing India’s core concerns on cross-border terror.

“It is a matter of deep anguish that even after 10 years of this heinous terror attack, the families of 166 victims from 15 countries across the globe still await closure, with Pakistan showing little sincerity in bringing perpetrators to justice,” India’s ministry of external affairs said in a statement. “The planners of 26/11 still roam the streets of Pakistan with impunity,” the ministry said.

Reminding Pakistan of an admission made by its former prime minister that the terrorists were sent from Pakistan’s soil, New Delhi underlined that “the 26/11 terrorist attack was planned, executed and launched from Pakistan territory.”

“We once again call on the Government of Pakistan to give up double standards and to expeditiously bring the perpetrators of the horrific attack to justice. This is not just a matter of Pakistan’s accountability to the families of the innocent victims who fell to terrorists, but also an international obligation,” said the ministry.

“The Government of India will continue its efforts to bring justice to the families of the victims and the martyrs.”

“Tributes to those who lost their lives in the gruesome 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. Our solidarity with the bereaved families. A grateful nation bows to our brave police and security forces who valiantly fought the terrorists during the Mumbai attacks,” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Ten years after the Mumbai terror attacks, thoughts with families and individuals who suffered. We salute those from the police and security forces who made the supreme sacrifice that day. India remains honour-bound to securing justice, and defeating terrorism,” said President Ram Nath Kovind in a tweet.

US backs India, offers $5 million

India’s call for swift justice for 26/11 victims was backed by India’s major external partners, including the US and Israel. In a statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said urged Pakistan to take action against those responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks and offered a new reward of $5 million for helping secure their capture.

India has welcomed “the statement issued today by the United States calling on Pakistan to uphold their UN Security Council obligations to implement sanctions against the terrorists responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and its affiliates.”

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