NEW DELHI, Nov 26: India cannot forget the wounds of the Mumbai terror attacks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today on the 13th anniversary of the carnage even as a senior diplomat of the Pakistani High Commission was summoned and told that Islamabad must ensure expeditious trial in the case.
In a short video released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the 26/11 attacks, Modi also said that today’s India is combating terrorism with a “new policy and new ways” as he paid tributes to the victims of the strikes.
The MEA said a note verbale was handed over to the Pakistani diplomat, reiterating New Delhi’s demand for an expeditious trial in the Mumbai attacks case and asking that country to abide by its commitment to not allow territories under its control for terrorism against India.
“I pay homage to all those who died in the Mumbai attack. Many brave police personnel were also martyred in the strike. I also pay homage to them,” Modi said in Hindi in the video posted by the MEA on Twitter.
“India cannot forget the wounds of the Mumbai attack. Today’s India is combating terrorism with a new policy and new ways,” he said.
In a statement titled ‘Thirteen years of seeking justice for the victims of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the MEA asserted that the terror attack was “planned, executed and launched” from Pakistani territory.
“It is a matter of deep anguish that even after 13 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 the perpetrators to justice,” it said in a statement.
The MEA said India will continue to make every effort to seek justice for the families of the “victims and the martyrs” of the attacks.
“The former Prime Minister of Pakistan had gone on record and admitted that the terrorists were sent from Pakistan’s soil,” the MEA said, in a reference to comments made by former premier Nawaz Sharif.
“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,” it said.
The MEA said it 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.
“On the 13th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Government and people of India somberly remember the victims of this dastardly attack and the valiant security personnel who laid down their lives to protect ours,” the MEA said.
“The President, the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister, in separate messages, have expressed their firm solidarity with the families of the victims,” it said.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went into a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India’s financial capital using the sea route in the Arabian sea.
As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault that sent shockwaves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
In November 2012, Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman among the Pakistani group, was hanged to death in Yerawada Jail in Pune.
India has been pressing Pakistan to punish those involved in the dastardly attack but the trial of the accused in the attack made little headway so far. India and 14 other countries lost their nationals in the attack.
“Indian Missions in these countries are organising memorial events remembering the victims, both national and foreign, reminding the world of the continuing global threat of terrorism,” the MEA said.
“Senior Government representatives from the host governments, family members of victims and survivors will be participating in these solemn events,” it said.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted that the world stands united in remembering the victims of 26/11 and seeking justice. The video featured images of the Mumbai carnage including on the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. (PTI)
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