In a speech at an event commemorating Constitution Day, external affairs minister S Jaishankar described the attacks by 10 members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which killed 166 people, as a “horrific assault on democratic freedoms”.




The US, France and Israel, whose nationals were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, condemned terrorism on Tuesday on the 11th anniversary of the carnage amid calls for the prosecution of the Pakistan-based perpetrators.
In a speech at an event commemorating Constitution Day, external affairs minister S Jaishankar described the attacks by 10 members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which killed 166 people, as a “horrific assault on democratic freedoms”.
“The Mumbai terror attacks 11 years ago are forever etched in India’s collective memory. Terrorism remains the single biggest threat to international peace and security and all those who stand for democracy, constitutionalism and human rights must stand together in our fight against this menace,” he told the audience, which included members of the diplomatic community.
Twenty-six foreigners, including citizens of the United States, Britain, France and Israel, were among those killed by the LeT terrorists, who went on rampage for three days.
Pakistani authorities arrested seven men, including LeT operations commander, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and those who planned and financed the attacks, but none of them has been prosecuted so far.
“It is an affront to the victims and their families that those who planned the Mumbai attack have still not been convicted,” United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at a briefing in Washington on Tuesday.
Out of the 166 people killed in the terror attacks, six victims were Americans.
Alice Wells, the US administration’s pointperson for S Asia, tweeted: “The US honors their memories and is committed to seeing those responsible for these horrific acts brought to justice.”
Gilad Cohen, deputy director general for Asia in Israel’s foreign ministry, said his country stands with India and remembers the victims, including six Israeli nationals.