‘US won’t rest until 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks’ perpetrators are held accountable,’ says US Coordinator for Counterterrorism

Pakistan is now being asked to bring perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice. Nathan Alexander Sales, the US Department of State Coordinator for Counterterrorism, while commemorating the 10^th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks at an event hosted by the Indian Embassy in the United States, opined that the US would not rest until they are held accountable for their acts.

The former American lawyer, Nathan Sales outlined the steps that have already been adopted by the US to reign in Lashkar-e-Taiba and its proxies’ activities. While elucidating the steps adopted to abolish terrorism, he mentioned two rewards for justice that was already issued for the arrest of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s founding member Hafiz Saeed and its top leader Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Both were the masterminds behind the blood-shedding 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

“We must prevent these terrorists who committed the acts of barbarism, Lashkar-e-Taiba, from ever threatening our people again. In the last ten years, we have made a lot of progress. Immediately after the attack in Mumbai, we made sure the international community say LET for what it is – a terrorist group and a particularly heinous one at that,” Nathan Sales said, as reported by ANI.

Apart from the arrest of Mumbai terrorist attacks’ masterminds Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the former counsel at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, Sales directly named and shamed Pakistan and called on them to take action against terror outfits. According to his speeches, all the nations, particularly Pakistan, need to do their part in bringing the perpetrators to justice and uphold the respective international obligations to take action against this UN-sanctioned terrorist group and its leaders.

US has also declared to reward up to the US $5million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual involved in conspiring or facilitating the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks. On the other hand, even after ten years of the horrific attacks, Pakistan is still in denial to accept that Ajmal Kasab was a Pakistani, although former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif earlier confirmed that Kasab was from Faridkot village in Pakistan. He (Sharif) also previously criticized President Zardari for cordoning off the village and prohibiting his parents to meet anyone, mainly the journalists.

On November 26, 2018, one of current Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan’s Minister, Fayaz-ul-Hasan said that Kasab was not a Pakistani and he was from Uttar Pradesh. He also directly denied the involvement of Hafiz Saeed in any of the terrorist attacks.