Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has tacitly admitted that Pakistan played a role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
"Militant organizations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai?" Sharif told Dawn.
However, he did not take Mumbai attacks' mastermind Hafiz Saeed's name during the interview.
Talking further about the issue of terrorists operating in Pakistan, Sharif told Dawn that it is "totally unacceptable" and this is the reason why the country is "struggling". Sharif admitted that Pakistan has "isolated" itself and the country's "narrative" is no longer accepted across the world.
On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists came to Mumbai via the sea route and unleashed havoc on hapless victims, most of them Indians, while some were Americans and Israelis, at different places — CST railway station, Taj Hotel, Trident Hotel, Leopold Cafe and Chabad House.
While one of the 10 terrorists — Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab — was captured alive, the others were neutralized by security forces but not before they killed 166 people, including 18 security personnel, one of whom was Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare. The attack that also left over 200 injured, ended on November 29, 2008.
Ajmal was tried in Indian courts and was hanged to death on November 21, 2012.
The mastermind of the attack — Hafiz Saeed — continues to elude justice in Pakistan and instigate terrorists to carry more attacks on India.
The perpetrators, other than Ajmal Kasab and Hafiz Saeed, of the attack were Zarar Shah, Javed Iqbal, Abu al Qama, Abu Hamza and Abu Kahfa, Yusuf (Muzammil) and Colonel Saddat Ullah.
