The students of University of Maryland in the US under the banner of Develop, Empower and Synergize India (DESI) held an event to commemorate the dastardly 26/11 Mumbai attacks of 2008.
The event took place in the form of a conversation between Mr Yashwant Raj (Editor- North America, Hindustan Times) and Mr Caleb Weiss (Research Analyst, FDD’s Long War journal on the college Park campus of UMD).
The following points were discussed:
1. Mr Yashwant started off by recollecting the sequence of the unfortunate day. It was an absolute carnage by ten-gun wielding men and who shot everyone and anyone. It was only late night that the authorities realised that it was a terror attack.
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2. The first line of Defence, the Mumbai city police were ill equipped even as they tried fighting the terrorists with obsolete World War 2 weapons. It was only the NSG who arrived the next day, who were able to bring the situation under control.
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3. The issue of media coverage during the attack was far from satisfactory. The live coverage helped the terrorists carry out their carnage in a coordinated manner. The government later realised the disaster and took note of it.
4. The issue of Pakistan state sponsored terrorism and their complicity and refusal to bring those involved in these attacks to justice serves as a stark reminder to the international community which should put pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting ‘non state actors’.
5. The Chicago and New York police departments studied this case to prevent such attacks within their jurisdiction.
6. However, there is a glimmer of hope as many measures have been taken to improve the situation after the attacks. More NSG hubs across the country have been set up, creation of the NIA to try terror cases etc.
This conversation comes even as:
1. The participants noted that six US citizens were among the 150 or more causalities. Though the US had ensured justice for the victims of the 9/11 attacks, it is yet to ensure justice for the victims of the 26/11 attacks.
2. Pakistan continues to remain double faced in its claims on fighting the war on terror. The accused in this particular case are still roaming around freely and even when they are imprisoned, there are lax conditions which defeats the purpose of an internment.
3. The US State Department in its ‘Country Reports on Terrorism Report’ 2018 noted that “Pakistani authorities failed to uniformly implement UN sanctions related to designated entities and individuals such as LET and its affiliates, which continued to make use of economic resources and raise funds.
The two panelists also called for closer cooperation between India and the US to fight terrorism. Closer intelligence sharing was recognized as the need of the hour.