Activists hold sit-in protest in J-K condemning Pakistan's role in 26/11 Mumbai attacks

Activists organised a sit-in protest in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday against Pakistan's role in the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, calling for an end to Islamabad's policy of terrorism targeted at India.

Activists organized a sit-in protest in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday against Pakistan's role in the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, calling for an end to Islamabad's policy of terrorism targeted at India. The protesters demanded that Pakistan hand over the masterminds behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. They also stood in solidarity with the victims of the attacks.

"The motive of this protest is to denounce the horror of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and the people responsible behind the attacks are also responsible behind several killings in Kashmir. This is a clear message that Kashmiri citizens and youth have denounced terrorism," said Mir Junaid, a Kashmiri activist who organized the protest. Junaid urged international communities to help in bringing peace in the Kashmir region.

According to a report on the sit-in protest, the demonstration was organized to sensitize people about the real face of Pakistan. "It is a country that has legitimized terrorism within its boundaries and is a threat to humanity. The horrors of the events of 26/11 are still fresh in our memory and recounting those moments adds to the determination of countering and fighting terrorism," read the report.

The report further accused Pakistan of defaming Islam, a religion of peace, and stated that the country's policy of terrorism was a well-known fact around the globe but the country has always been able to run away with it in Kashmir using religion and the Kashmir issue as excuses. "The communal and divisive policy of Pakistan shall find no buyers anymore as Kashmir has had enough of bloodshed and violence on its land for no reason. We are doing this sit-in in memory of those innocents who lost their lives to the barbarians from Pakistan. We are remembering the brave hearts who sacrificed their lives for protecting the people of India," said the report.

It further pledged to not let the propagandists of Pakistan keep the paradise in isolation and distress, adding that the organizers of the protest sought to uplift the Kashmiri society and make it enter the contemporary standards of living and satisfaction. The report concluded by stating that Pakistan's acts against humanity must be brought in open and spoken about openly so that the real face of Pakistan does not remain hidden behind the mask of a savior.

On November 26, 2008, 10 terrorists trained by the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) carried out a series of coordinated attacks against multiple targets in Mumbai including the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Oberoi Hotel, the Leopold Cafe, the Nariman (Chabad) House, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, killing 166 people. In these gruesome attacks, nine terrorists were killed and the lone survivor, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was caught and was sentenced to death at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune in 2012. On November 11, 2012, Kasab was hanged in Yerawada Jail in Pune.

Pakistani authorities continue to deny culpability and are yet to take action on the multiple dossiers shared by India. A trial underway in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court against seven suspects has made little headway in more than a decade, as Pakistani officials serially question the sufficiency and legitimacy of evidence against them.

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