On 26/11 anniversary, India reminds Pak of its 'responsibility'
Mumbai/New Delhi: On the second anniversary of 26/11, India today asked Pakistan to realise its "responsibility" to punish those behind the dastardly terror attacks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vowing to redouble efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
As the nation paid tributes to the 166 martyrs of Mumbai attacks, including 18 security personnel, India lamented that Pakistan had not punished the masterminds of the terror strike as it had promised.
To mark the occasion, Maharashtra Police took out a parade in south Mumbai beginning from Oberoi Trident Hotel, one of the sites of the deadly strikes.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan were among those who placed wreaths at the Police Gymkhana.
"I sincerely hope that on the second anniversary of this horrific tragedy, Pakistan will realise its responsibility as a nation, as a government and fulfil its promises to bring to justice those who perpetrated the attacks," said Chidambaram after attending commemoration events.
Recalling Pakistan's assurances, he said it had promised to bring to justice the masterminds, the controllers and the handlers of the terror strike by arresting all the seven persons whose names were handed over by India to it.
He said Pakistan had not even handed over the voice samples of the handlers of the 10 Pakistani terrorists who struck in Mumbai on this day two years back.
In a statement issued in Delhi, the Prime Minister said, "We pledge to redouble our efforts to bring the perpetrators of this crime against humanity to justice."
Asserting that India "will never succumb to the designs of our enemies," he said, "It is this spirit and strength of character of the Indian people that will defeat such forces that seek to threaten our social fabric and way of life".
Chidambaram said India has "learnt a lesson that while we will always trust our neighbour, we must always be on guard."
He was speaking after handing over the CNG filling station dealership to the family of Tukaram Ombale, an unarmed Mumbai police constable, who was killed when Kasab was caught alive in suburban Borivali on that fateful night two years ago.
"On a day like this while we honour those who laid down their lives, while we renew to our people our pledge that we will do everything in our power to secure this country and secure the people, it is my duty to caution the people that we have a neighbour who has not yet fulfilled the promises made to us," he said.
Post new comment