India should shift Pak from grey to black list: Defence Expert

New Delhi [India], May 12 (ANI): Defence experts on Saturday called for sterner action against Pakistan after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif admitted the involvement of his country in the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, saying, "India should ensure Pakistan is shifted from grey list to black list."

"Pakistan speaks in a language so that they can gain international sympathy. Take the case of former dictator Pervez Musharraf's example, who instigated terrorism in Kashmir. Thereafter he admitted openly that it was Pakistan which started terrorism in Kashmir. He was trying to become a hero by acknowledging that. Nawaz is doing something similar," Defence expert Anil Gupta told ANI after reports of Nawaz's statement, wherein, he admitted that the terrorists sent by Pakistan were responsible for the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

"One must ask him (Nawaz) when he was the country's prime minister for four years why did he keep refusing the evidence provided by India is not enough evidence. India showed dosseirs showing involvement of Pakistan but it denied. Now that he has admitted it, India should ensure Pakistan is shifted from grey list to black list," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments another defence expert DS Dhillon underscored how Pakistan was constantly in the denial mode despite dossier submitted by India.

"Role of Pakistan was always very well established in the world media but his admission puts an official stamp on the role of Pakistan media and press and ISI attack in Mumbai 26/11," Dhillon told ANI.

On Friday, Nawaz said that terrorists sent by Pakistan were responsible for the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that claimed over 160 lives.

"Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?" Nawaz noted in an interview to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper in a reference to the Mumbai attacks-related trials which have stalled in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.

Pakistan has so far not completed trial in the 26/11 case.

On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists had sailed into Mumbai from Karachi and carried out coordinated attacks in different parts of the city, killing about 166 people and injuring over 600 others.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) was believed to have plotted the 26/11 attacks. Its mastermind, Hafiz Saeed, has been roaming freely in Pakistan.

India has, time and again, protested against Islamabad for harbouring Saeed, who is wanted for allegedly plotting the 2008 attack. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI