Jaishankar says India did not respond to 26/11 terror attacks, this ‘has changed’

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday (Oct 27) revisited the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks which shook India in 2008 and said that the government at the helm at that time had failed to respond to them.

“We should not have a repeat of what happened in Mumbai. That there was a terror attack and there was no response. This India will not accept it. This is what has changed,” said Minister Jaishankar.

He said that Mumbai has become a global symbol which represents the counter-terrorism resolve of India and recalled how the UN Security Council’s panel meeting was held in the iconic Taj Hotel – where terrorists had taken hostages in the 2008 attacks – when India chaired the counter-terrorism committee.

“Mumbai is a symbol of counter-terrorism for India and the world. When we were a member of the UNSC, we were president of the counter-terrorism committee. We held the security council meeting for the first time in the hotel where a terrorist attack took place, in Mumbai,” Jaishankar said.

The external affairs minister added that India has a “zero tolerance” policy towards terrorism and added that it cannot afford another such attack.

“When the world sees who’s standing strong against the challenge of terrorism, people say India. We are today’s leaders in fighting terrorism and have zero tolerance towards it. We should not have a repeat of what happened in Mumbai (26/11),” said Jaishankar.

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“When we talk of zero tolerance against terror, it is clear that when somebody does something, there will be a response. We also have to expose. It is not acceptable that you are doing business during the daytime and indulging in terror during the night and I have to pretend that everything is okay. This India will not accept it. This is what has changed. We are very clear, we need to expose terrorism,” he added. 

Ten terrorists of Pakistan-sponsored Lashkar-e-Toiba on November 26, 2008, carried out co-ordinated terror attacks in Mumbai in which at least 166 people were killed and more than 300 were injured.

(With inputs from agencies)