New Delhi: It’s been 10 years since the attack on Parliament, which was the biggest attack on the Indian democracy. The attack left a trail of evidence behind, that pointed to Pakistan. A number stuck on the back of all the phones the terrorists used led to Afzal Guru who is a prime accused in the attack and now on death row.
Twelve people died in the attack and the number of accused is also 12. The conspirators Md Afzal Guru has sought mercy pardon, Shaukat Hussain Guru, Afzal’s cousin, was freed after completing his 10-year term in December 2010, Shaukat’s wife, Afsan Guru, was acquitted and Delhi University Professor SAR Geelani was also acquitted.
Maulana Masood Azhar and co-conspirator of the attack Tariq Ahmed is at large in Pakistan. The five terrorists who carried out the attack were killed in the counter attack and the main conspirator Ghazi Baba was shot dead in Kashmir in 2002.
The question which still remains is whether India managed to retaliate finally?
NIA officer Narendra Dubey said, “The attack did strengthen the security around Parliament but has that made India a more secure nation?”
Dubey was shot at eight times as he fought and killed Ghazi Baba, the man who planned the attack on Parliament. The operation is till date the biggest counter-insurgency operation that was carried out in the Valley. Baba’s plan was to assassinate the Prime Minister who was on a visit to Srinagar along with his Cabinet colleagues.
“Actually we were expecting something very big from the terrorists because August 27 was the day when the Prime Minister of India, the Deputy Prime Minister of India and the complete Cabinet, few Chief Ministers of our country, were in the Srinagar city. We apprehended the person who was basically nailed the Gazhi Baba’s coffin. He was the deputy chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed and ultimately culminated into killing of Ghazi Baba on the 29th/30th August 2003,” Dubey said.
Former director of Intelligence Bureau Ajit Doval said, “We did leverage our position diplomatically. Pakistan accused now of state sponsored terror but little else has changed domestically.”
The December 13 attack turned international opinion against Pakistan with parallels being drawn with 9/11. Ten years later, India might have managed to put the state sponsor of terror tag on Pakistan, but little has changed.
Earlier this year, in the wake of news coming in that Afzal Guru could be hanged, came September’s Delhi High Court blast. The message coming in from terrorists that they can strike at will whenever, wherever, world opinion not withstanding.
Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/parl-attack-10-years-on-any-lesson-learnt/211334-3.html
