Members of minority groups from Pakistan on Tuesday held a protest outside the country's embassy in Washington against Islamabad's role in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, as well as to demand capital punishment for the attack's mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
Mumbai had come to a standstill 11 years ago on November 26 when 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who came to the city via sea route from Pakistan carried out a series of coordinated shooting and bombing attacks that killed 166 people and injured over 300 in India's financial capital.
The protesters gathered outside the embassy also raised the issue of the killings and enforced disappearances of minorities in Pakistan. The demonstrators carried placards reading "Stop Mohajir genocide" and "Free Balochistan".
"We are here to pay tribute to the victims of 26/11 terror attack, as well as the victims of terror attacks elsewhere. At the same time, we call for the end of killings of minority groups in Pakistan," a protester told .
The terrorists who entered Mumbai struck at multiple sites in the city including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station, Cama Hospital, Nariman House business and residential complex, Leopold Cafe, Taj Hotel and Tower, and the Oberoi-Trident Hotel.
India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to take action against the terrorist groups operating from its soil. However, the architects of Mumbai attack like Hafiz Saeed, Maulana Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Sufayan Zafar continue to receive military patronage.
( With inputs from ANI )