The 2008 Mumbai Attacks
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The 2008 Mumbai Attacks Mumbai attacks which took place from 26th Nov 2008 to 29th Nov 2008 was a set of attacks carried out by Islamic Groups in repercussion of Babri Masjid Demolition by Hindu activists. The attacks were carried out by Pakistani members of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The only attacker captured alive Ajmal Kasab confessed upon interrogation the involvement and support of Pakistan Government's intelligence agency ISI, though not accepted by Pakistani Govt.. Trials In India On 29 August 2012, the Indian Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Kasab given by high court. The court stated, "We are left with no option but to award death penalty. The primary and foremost offence committed by Kasab is waging war against the Government of India.” The sentence was appealed in Supreme Court citing the reason of unfair trail but it was rejected by a two judge panel. He appealed to the President of India for mercy plea but was denied. Kasab was hanged in Pune's Yerwada jail in secret on 21 November 2012 at 7:30 am. Though court convicted him but didn't used the word terrorist for him but the attack was termed as a terror attack. In Pakistan Based on the evidences shared between Indian and Pakistani police the arrest of seven people including Hammad Amin Sadiq, a homeopathic pharmacist, who assisted in arranging bank accounts and secured supplies, in Pakistan was done. Sadiq and six others were tried at a Pakistani anti-terror court and were charged along with LeT operations commander Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi. However in the actual trial that started on 5 May 2012 the Pakistani court conducting trial of Mumbai attacks accused, refused to take the findings of the Pakistani judicial commission as part of the evidence. It ruled that if a new agreement that allowed re-examination of witnesses of the Mumbai Terror attack was made then it can consider the new evidences. The India Government though upset by the decision of the court agreed for the same. On 21-September-2013, a Pakistani judicial commission came to India to re investigation and to cross examine the witnesses again. The trail in Pakistan is still in process and court nowhere till now has used the word terrorist to refer the accused persons. In United States The Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley (born Daood Sayed Gilani) and Tahawwur Rana's were caught and tried in USA. Headley revealed during trial that Mumbai Chabad House was added to the list of targets for surveillance given by his Inter Services Intelligence handler Major Iqbal. On 10 June 2011, Tahawwur Rana, a businessman by profession was acquitted of plotting but was held guilty on two other charges and
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Mumbai attacks which took place from 26th Nov 2008 to 29th Nov 2008 was a set of attacks carried out byIslamic Groups in repercussion of Babri Masjid Demolition by Hindu activists. The attacks were carried out byPakistani members of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The only attacker captured alive Ajmal Kasabconfessed upon interrogation the involvement and support of Pakistan Government's intelligence agency ISI,though not accepted by Pakistani Govt..
Transcript of The 2008 Mumbai Attacks
The 2008 Mumbai AttacksMumbai attacks which took place from 26th Nov 2008 to 29th Nov 2008 was a set of attacks carried out byIslamic Groups in repercussion of Babri Masjid Demolition by Hindu activists. The attacks were carried out byPakistani members of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The only attacker captured alive Ajmal Kasabconfessed upon interrogation the involvement and support of Pakistan Government's intelligence agency ISI,though not accepted by Pakistani Govt..
Trials
In IndiaOn 29 August 2012, the Indian Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Kasab given by high court. Thecourt stated, "We are left with no option but to award death penalty. The primary and foremost offencecommitted by Kasab is waging war against the Government of India.” The sentence was appealed in SupremeCourt citing the reason of unfair trail but it was rejected by a two judge panel. He appealed to the Presidentof India for mercy plea but was denied. Kasab was hanged in Pune's Yerwada jail in secret on 21 November2012 at 7:30 am. Though court convicted him but didn't used the word terrorist for him but the attack wastermed as a terror attack.
In PakistanBased on the evidences shared between Indian and Pakistani police the arrest of seven people includingHammad Amin Sadiq, a homeopathic pharmacist, who assisted in arranging bank accounts and securedsupplies, in Pakistan was done. Sadiq and six others were tried at a Pakistani anti-terror court and werecharged along with LeT operations commander Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi.
However in the actual trial that started on 5 May 2012 the Pakistani court conducting trial of Mumbai attacksaccused, refused to take the findings of the Pakistani judicial commission as part of the evidence. It ruledthat if a new agreement that allowed re-examination of witnesses of the Mumbai Terror attack was madethen it can consider the new evidences. The India Government though upset by the decision of the courtagreed for the same. On 21-September-2013, a Pakistani judicial commission came to India to re investigationand to cross examine the witnesses again. The trail in Pakistan is still in process and court nowhere till nowhas used the word terrorist to refer the accused persons.
In United StatesThe Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley (born Daood Sayed Gilani) and Tahawwur Rana's were caughtand tried in USA. Headley revealed during trial that Mumbai Chabad House was added to the list of targetsfor surveillance given by his Inter Services Intelligence handler Major Iqbal. On 10 June 2011, TahawwurRana, a businessman by profession was acquitted of plotting but was held guilty on two other charges and
sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on 17 January 2013.
David Headley was found guilty to 12 counts related to the attacks, which including conspiracy to commitmurder in Mumbai and aiding and assisting in the murder of six Americans. He was sentenced to 35 years infederal prison on 23 January 2013. He had plead that he should not be handed to India, Pakistan orDenmark, which was accepted.
Leinenweber, the Judge who gave the verdict, said"Mr Headley is a terrorist. He commits crime, cooperatesand then gets rewarded for the cooperation. No matter what I do, it is not going to deter terrorists.Unfortunately, terrorists do not care for it".
The judge clearly used the term terrorist to refer Headley.
Was it Terrorism?Let us analyse the event
1. The Encyclopedia of Terrorism says that the motive of this group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, is to integrateKashmir with Pakistan and propagation of Islamism in South Asia. So the activities can be called as atactic to fulfil their goal. And even the Supreme court of India said it to be a war against the Indiangovernment.
2. The event included killing of many civilians in Taj Hotel and in certain other locations of Mumbaiwhich were pre planned and executed with preparation. The event included physical violence as wellas had direct victims who died at the spot itself.
3. Those who escaped the event or witnessed it were in trauma for a long time. The extent of fear wasthat international flights were halted for about a week.
4. Though there were direct victims of the event but the attack was specifically for them but there was apolitical motive of the group behind it, as revealed by Kasab during interrogation.
5. The event was not first of its kind but preceded by many other events of violence in Kashmir and oneon Indian parliament. So it can also be regarded as the part of a violence campaign.
The points make it clear that it was a planned terrorist attack and constitute as terrorism according to keycomponents of academic consensus of definition too.
References1. Schifrin, Nick (25 November 2009). "Mumbai Terror Attacks: 7 Pakistanis Charged – Action Comes a
Year After India's Worst Terrorist Attacks; 164 Die.". ABC News
2. "Indian Supreme Court upholds death penalty for Kasab". Dawn. Agence France-Presse. 29 August2012.
3. "Ajmal Kasab hanged at Yerwada Jail in Pune at 7:30 am". The Times of India. 21 November 2012.
4. "Mumbai terror attacks: Pak court calls judicial panel's report illegal". 17 July 2012.
5. "Pakistani judicial panel to grill 26/11 witnesses" – Times Of India.Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2013-09-22)
6. "Rana acquitted on terror plot". Deccan Herald. 16 June 2011
7. Muskal, Michael (January 17, 2013). "Businessman Tahawwur Rana gets 14 years for role in terrorismplots". The Los Angeles Times
8. "David Headley sentenced to 35 years in jail by US court". The Times of India. Jan 24, 2013.
9. "The Lessons of Mumbai" by Angel Rabasa, Robert D. Blackwill, Peter Chalk, Kim Cragin, C. ChristineFair, Brian A. Jackson, Brian Michael Jenkins, Seth G. Jones, Nathaniel Shestak, Ashley J. Tellis,RAND Occasional papers, ISBN 9780833046673, 2009
10. Encyclopedia of Terrorism, pp 212–213, By Harvey W. Kushner, Edition: illustrated, Published bySAGE, 2003, ISBN 0-7619-2408-6, ISBN 978-0-7619-2408-1
11. Prada, Paulo; Daniel Fitzpatrick; Nitin Luthra; Dan Michaels; Jeanne Whalen (27 November 2008)."Mumbai Notebook: Squeeze to India's Cash-Strapped Carriers". Wall Street Journal
12. "The print media coverage of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks: A study on the coverage of leadingIndian newspapers and its impact on people", M. Neelamalar, P. Chitra and Arun Darwin, Departmentof Media Sciences, Anna University Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal Media and CommunicationStudies Vol. 1(6) pp. 095-105, December, 2009
