Pune (Maharashtra) [India], November 26 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday paid tribute to the victims and security personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and pinned the blame on Pakistan for the "barbaric" incident, which led to killing of 166 people while injuring more than 300.
This year marks 17 years since terrorists from the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) unleashed mayhem on the streets of India's financial capital, Mumbai, on November 26, 2008.
Speaking to ANI, former Union Minister Javedkar said, "17 years have passed. No Indian has forgotten the barbaric terror attacks. Hundreds of people died, Police officers were killed, and all these things show that terrorism was paramount at that time. This is Pakistan's strategy; Kasab confessed that he belongs to Pakistan, and that was proved in Court also. Therefore, Pakistan's hand was very clear, and that is why our resolve to fight terrorism must be strengthened."
Expressing concern about the recent Delhi blasts, Javedkar said that security forces are trying their best to avert large-scale attacks under the current dispensation.
"We are fortunate that more than 2500 kgs of explosives have already been caught. So many drone attacks and many big conspiracies have been foiled. So, we must salute our forces, investigative agencies and the leadership of PM Modi," he said.
Javedkar also showered praise on the efforts undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the global platforms in the country's fight against terrorism.
"PM Modi, who is leading from the front, is fighting against terror, and even the G20 has resolved that terror and funding to terror networks have to be arrested, and there has to be a joint action. The world has agreed," he said.
Commonly referred to as 26/11, these coordinated assaults by a group of 10 terrorists sent shockwaves through the nation and the world. The terrorists had entered the city of Mumbai on the night of November 26, 2008, via sea route and over the course of four days, they killed 166 people and injured 300, in some of the busiest parts of the city.
The targets were carefully chosen after being surveyed for maximum impact, viz., the Taj and Oberoi Hotels, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Jewish centre at Nariman House, Cama Hospital, Metro Cinema and the Leopold Cafe, since these places were frequented by foreign nationals along with a major part of Mumbai's workforce.
The scars left by the tragic event continue to haunt those who witnessed it and the families who lost their loved ones. The bullet marks at Leopold Cafe and Nariman House, the bust of Assistant Sub-Inspector Tukaram Omble, who gave up his life while capturing the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, and the streets of South Mumbai keep alive the memory of the gruesome terror attack.
The nine LeT terrorists were killed while Kasab was arrested. In May 2010, Kasab was handed the death penalty, and two years later, hanged in a maximum security prison in Pune.