Netherlands: Demonstrations against Pakistan to commemorate 26/11 Mumbai attacks, demands justice
Nov 25, 2022
The Hague [Netherlands], November 25 : The Global Human Rights Defence held a demonstration in front of the peace palace in Hague to commemorate the Mumbai terror attack on November 26, 2008, and raised voices against 'ruthless terrorism' and demanded justice from Pakistan, according to the press statement released by Global Human Rights Defence.
According to the statement, the protest started on Friday at noon and ended after 1.5 hours.
On November 26, 2008, 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists arrived through sea and opened fire, killing 166 people, including 18 security personnel, and over 300 people were injured during the three-day siege in Mumbai.
The 10 terrorists traveled from Pakistan's Karachi to Mumbai across the Arabian Sea by hijacking a Kuber fishing trawler, killing all the crew and then arriving in an inflatable speedboat after killing the captain. They docked at Mumbai's waterfront near the Gateway of India, hijacked cars, including a police van, and split into at least three groups to carry out the attacks to maximize damage, the statement reads.
Among the attackers, two gunmen namely Ismail Khan and Ajmal Kasab attacked Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). They entered the passenger hall and opened fire, killing 58 innocent people and wounding 104.
After that, both of the gunmen fled from the site and fired on pedestrians and police officers in the streets, killing 8 police officers. After CSMT, the attackers' new target was the hospital. But the hospital staff members sealed off the patient wards and saved many lives, according to the statement.
Kasab and Khan seized a passenger car. They then drove towards a police roadblock, where a shootout ensued that killed Khan and arrested Kasab.
Another target was the Leopold Cafe, a popular restaurant and bar in South Mumbai, which was attacked by 2 other attackers, Shoaib alias Soho and Nazir alias Abu. Later on, they attacked two five-star hotels, Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident.
A number of MEPs from the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade were staying at the Taj hotel when it was attacked, but none were injured thanks to the alertness of the hotel staff. The staff of the Taj hotels showed exemplary courage in controlling the situation and rescuing a number of hostages.
Firefighters and police officers rescued more than 200 hostages on the first day. Both hotels were surrounded by members of the Rapid Action Force, Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and National Security Guards (NSG) commandos.
Security forces eventually stormed into the hotels and all nine attackers were killed by the morning of November 29, the statement reads.
In July 2009, Pakistani authorities confirmed that Lashkar-e-taiba (LeT) planned and financed the attacks
from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta in Pakistan. And in the same year, in November, Pakistani
authorities charged 7 men they had previously arrested with planning and carrying out the attack, the statement added.
David Coleman Headley (born Dad Sayed Gilani) and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who had been arrested in the US in October 2009 for other attacks, were also found to be involved in planning the Mumbai attacks.
According to the statement, Pakistani American David Headley had made several trips to India before the attacks, collecting video and GPS information on behalf of the plotters.
In April 2011, the US issued arrest warrants for 4 Pakistani men as suspects in the attack. They are said to be members of LeT and helped plan the attack and train the attackers.
Pakistan initially denied that its citizens were responsible for the attacks - eventually agreeing that Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker captured, was indeed a Pakistani. The Indian government provided evidence to Pakistan and other governments in the form of interrogations, weapons and conversation records of conversations during the attack. A year after the attacks, the Mumbai Police continued to complain that Pakistani authorities were not cooperating in providing information for their investigation.
In 2018, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif allegedly admitted indirectly during an interview with Dawn newspaper that Pakistan was involved in the failure to prevent the Mumbai attacks. US officials believe that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents' support was granted to Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who carried out the attacks, the statement reads.
