Activists march in front of Pak embassy in Japan, demand capital punishment for Hafiz Saeed

Around 50 human rights activists rallied in front of Pakistan's embassy here in Japan on Tuesday, demanding capital punishment for Mumbai terror attack mastermind and chief of the banned JuD Hafiz Saeed as they paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 carnage. Remembering the victims, the activists said that about 11 years ago, a cowardly act of terrorism took 166 innocent lives which included Indians and many non-Indians.

A Japanese citizen Hisashi Tsuda was also one of the victims of this terror attack in Mumbai who was on a business trip during the fateful day, said a statement issued by the activists. Investigations have pointed towards Saeed as a mastermind behind this attack who is a co-founder of terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and also chief of Jamaat-ud-Da'wah (JuD), operating mainly from Pakistan, the activists said.

As a tribute to the victims of the 26/11 terror attack as well as a tribute to victims of terror attacks elsewhere, around 40-50 human rights activists demonstrated in front of the Pakistan embassy in Tokyo, demanding capital punishment for Saeed, the statement said. The US has announced a bounty of USD 10 million on Saeed for his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai attack.

The Trump administration demanded justice for the victims of the Mumbai terror attack in which six Americans were among those who were killed. Saeed is a UN-designated terrorist. India has banned his organizations to LeT and JuD as terrorist organizations.

The US, the UK, the European Union, Russia, and Australia have also banned the LeT. However, Pakistan has been reluctant to take any concrete action against Saeed. It has also faced strict scrutiny and serious warnings from FATF (Financial Action Task Force) for its lack of action to curb terror financing by pro-terror groups and individuals, the statement said.

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