With the overarching theme of 'Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes', India hosted the anti-terrorism meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in Mumbai today as numerous survivors of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks outlined their experiences and highlighted that the masterminds behind the attacks were still not behind bars.
Speaking on the occasion, a survivor who was nine at the time expressed her views and requested the strictest laws against terrorism at national and international levels.
" I was nine years old at the time when I was shot during the attack. Later we were called to testify in court. We did the formal testimony in court. And from that day I have aspired to become an officer so that I can end this terrorism. Numerous brave officers, the best of the best officers were killed during the attack. We will get complete justice only and only when terrorism will end. Even today the masterminds are alive. Don't know which conspiracy they are still building. I would only request the authorities to make the strictest laws," said Devika Natwarlal Rotawan.
Devika also informed that she along with her father and brother were present at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus as they were leaving for Pune to visit a family member.
The general manager of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel also stressed the horrors of the attack.
"We felt our house was attacked and we had to defend it," said the General Manager of Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace hotel, KS Kang.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid tribute to victims of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks as part of the two-day anti-terrorism meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) starting Friday.
The first segment of the Special Meeting of the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee is at Hotel Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai today. A wreath-laying ceremony also took place at one of the main sites that saw the dastardly terror attacks of November 26, 2008.
Speaking at the UNSC meeting at the Taj hotel, Jaishankar said, "18 members of the Indian Police Forces, 12 members of the Taj hotel staff and security were martyred in the line of duty. As we pay tribute to them at the 26/11 memorial site, we salute their valour and their resolve," he said.
In his speech, Jaishankar pointed out that it was not just "an attack on Mumbai, it was an attack on the international community. Nations of specific countries were identified before being murdered. As a result, the commitment of each and every member state of the UN to combat terrorism stood publicly challenged," he said.
On November 26, 2008, 10 terrorists trained by the Pakistan-based terror group 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.
The UN CTC meeting, under India's chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), is taking place in Mumbai and New Delhi on October 28 and October 29, respectively.
( With inputs from ANI )
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