26/11 verdict; but is this all?
The terrorist attacks that took place in Mumbai in November 2008 shattered Mumbai and shocked the world. 174 people were killed in the brutal slaughter including 9 gunmen; the unpleasant incident further souring relations between India and Pakistan.
On May 3rd, an Indian court found 22-year old Pakistani, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, guilty of terrorism. He is the sole surviving gunman from the attack charged with 86 different crimes including murder and waging war on India. The prosecution team is hoping for the sentence to be the death penalty. Also on trial alongside Kasab were two Indian nationals, Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, both charged with aiding the attackers in their preparation for the gun attack. But they were acquitted.
Ujjwal Nikamm, a special public prosecutor said the prosecution proved that Kasab was "part of a larger conspiracy to create terror and destabilise the economy ". He found the outcome to be the ‘right’ one, having amassed a huge range of evidence from eye witness accounts from 610 witnesses, to CCTV footage and more.
It’s indeed a relief that the 210-day trial finally came to an end. However, the real perpetrators who instigated Kasab are yet to be brought to book. Who are they? Are they really Pakistanis, Indians or indeed Americans? Or are they just terrorists who abhor peace?
Contributed by Jenny Wren-Charlton
