"Mann Ki Baat": PM Narendra Modi said terrorism has become a global burden (File)
Nine years to the day since
terrorists attacked landmark buildings in Mumbai and killed over 160 people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his
Mann Ki Baat address to the nation today said the "world is realising the destructive aspects of terrorism" -- an issue which India has been raising for over four decades.
The coordinated shooting and bombing attacks which began on November 26, 2008 and lasted until November 29 saw the terrorists attacking Mumbai's landmarks like Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Hotel, Leopold Cafe and Cama Hospital, among others.
PM Modi said "initially the world did not take us seriously" but is now coming to understand that terrorism is a major global threat. "The world will have to join hands to eliminate terrorism," he said.
"We salute all those brave women and men who lost their lives in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Terrorism has become a global burden," PM Modi said in his monthly radio address.
BJP chief Amit Shah and other party leaders listen to PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat over tea
As PM Modi's
Mann Ki Baat was being aired, the ruling BJP's leaders, including chief Amit Shah,
tuned in to his radio programme over cups of tea in poll-bound Gujarat. A dozen-odd union ministers, BJP functionaries and state leaders also got together for the special
Mann Ki Baat - Chai Ke Saath session organised at polling booths across the state where elections will be held next month.
India has maintained that the 26/11 Mumbai attacks were carried out by Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, whose chief Hafiz Saeed was
released from prison by Pakistani authorities on Thursday, a move that drew strong criticism from the US.
India has said the move was an "attempt by Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists". "It is evident that Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non-state actors and its true face is for all to see," the External Affairs Ministry has said.
Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was hanged in 2012 (File)
The US has told Pakistan to detain and charge the freed terrorist; otherwise, Pakistan is likely to face "repercussions".
Mumbai has seen many terror attacks; one of the deadliest ones was the 1993 Mumbai bombings that targeted the Bombay Stock Exchange and killed over 250 people.
In the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Lashkar-e-Taiba operative
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was the sole surviving gunman. He was one of the two gunmen who opened fire and threw hand grenades at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, killing 52 people and injuring more than 100.
He was found guilty of a string of charges, including treason, waging war against India, murder and terrorist acts and sentenced to death by a Mumbai trial court in May 2010. He was hanged at Pune's Yerwada Jail.