It has been almost 13 years for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and still the masterminds behind the terror attacks are left free or rather no actions have been taken against them by Pakistan. The November 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as the 26/11 attacks, prompted the central government to critically heighten its counter-terrorism operations and re-examine several aspects of its already straining ties with Pakistan.
13 Years And Still The Mastermind Set Free
As many as 166 people from 15 countries were killed in the attacks at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the Nariman House, the Metro Cinema, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, among other places. Ajmal Kasab, who was the sole surviving attacker captured by the security forces, later confirmed the assault was planned, coordinated, and conducted by the LeT and other Pakistan-based terror modules. In testimonies acquired by the intelligence agencies in the country, Kasab was quoted as saying all the attackers came from Pakistan and their controllers, too, were all operating from that country.
Ten years after the attack, former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif – in a series of sensational revelations – also indicated that Islamabad played a role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Current evidence suggests that Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism in the 26/11 attacks has been proved during the interrogation accounts of three men terrorists – Ajmal Kasab, David Headley, and Zabiuddin Ansari. Despite its own public acknowledgment as well as the availability of all necessary evidence, including those shared by India, Pakistan is yet to show sincerity in delivering justice to the families of victims even on the 13th anniversary of the 26/11 attacks.
Pakistan Court Had Freed Six Terrorists In The Case
On November 7, a Pakistani court freed six terrorists, including those involved with the dreadful attacks, mentored by Hafiz Saeed – the United Nations designated terrorist who is the founder of the LeT outfit and its charity wing, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, LeT commander and ringleader of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, had also been on bail since 2015 after he was arrested, on terror-financing charges by the counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the country’s Punjab province.
Lakhvi, also another UN-designated international terrorist, was arrested once again in Pakistan earlier this year in January, but counter-terror watchers indicate that political interference in the country often gets in the way of justice. Today the Indian ministry of external affairs had summoned the Pakistan High commissioner to expedite the trials of all those guilty terrorists safely guarded in the country.
