India asks Pak to bring 26/11 perpetrators to justice

India on Monday asked Pakistan to give up its “double standards” and expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the November 26-28, 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.

New Delhi expressed its “deep anguish” on the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 attacks, accusing Islamabad of not being sincere to bring to justice the ones who planned, funded and orchestrated the attack from Pakistan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid tributes to the victims of the attack and the “brave martyrs” of the security forces, who laid down their lives while fighting the terrorists. We will continue to seek justice for their families and friends. India will defeat terrorism,” she posted on Twitter.

“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,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, adding: “The planners of 26/11 still roam the streets of Pakistan with impunity.”

New Delhi underlined that the 26/11 terrorist attack was planned, executed and launched from territory under control of Pakistan. The MEA referred to former Pakistan prime minister M Nawaz Sharif's statement earlier this year admitting that the 10 terrorists, who had carried out the attack, had been sent from his country.

“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,” the MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Over 160 people were killed and countless others were injured in the three-day-long mayhem in Mumbai 10 years ago. The deceased include not only citizens of India, but also 14 other nations, including the US and Israel. India's diplomatic missions in the US, Israel and the 12 other nations, who lost their nationals in the 26/11 strikes, organized memorial events on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the attack on Monday.

New Delhi also welcomed the statement of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 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.