Scores of people were killed when Islamist militants launched attacks on several targets across India's financial capital. A decade later, India and its allies have called on Pakistan to bring the masterminds to justice.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Paranjpe
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India's financial capital Mumbai on Monday marked the tenth anniversary of terror attacks that killed 166 people and injured hundreds more across the city. Several memorial services were held for the victims, survivors and their families at the sites of the attacks.
"Tributes to those who lost their lives in the gruesome 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet. "A grateful nation bows to our brave police and security forces who valiantly fought the terrorists during the Mumbai attacks."
On November 26, 2008, 10 Islamist militants launched a series of attacks across Mumbai, hitting the monumental Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station, a popular café and the Nariman House Jewish community center.
"It is an affront to the families of the victims that, after 10 years, those who planned the Mumbai attack have still not been convicted for their involvement," Pompeo said.
Indian commandos battled the militants for three days before finally ending the multi-pronged assaultImage: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Tyagi
The US State Department announced a $5-million reward "for information to the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual who committed, conspired to commit, or aided or abetted" the deadly attacks. Six Americans were also killed.
"We call upon all countries, particularly Pakistan, to uphold their UN Security Council obligations to implement sanctions against the terrorists responsible for this atrocity, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and its affiliates," Pompeo added.
On August 15, 1947, British India split into two nations - Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. The two countries continue to be hostile towards each other despite some efforts to improve bilateral ties.
Image: AP
Birth of two nations
In 1947, British India was divided into two countries - India and Pakistan. Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah and his All-India Muslim League party had first demanded autonomy for Muslim-majority areas in the undivided India, and only later a separate country for Muslims. Jinnah believed that Hindus and Muslims could not continue to live together, as they were distinctly different "nations."
Image: picture alliance/dpa/United Archives/WHA
The line of blood
The partition of British India was extremely violent. Following the birth of India and Pakistan, violent communal riots began in many western areas, mostly in Punjab. Historians say that more than a million people died in clashes, and millions more migrated from Indian territory to Pakistan and from the Pakistani side to India.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Images
The 1948 war
India and Pakistan clashed over Kashmir soon after their independence. The Muslim-majority Kashmir region was ruled by a Hindu leader, but Jinnah wanted it to be part of Pakistani territory. Indian and Pakistani troops fought in Kashmir in 1948, with India taking control of most part of the valley, while Pakistan occupied a smaller area. India and Pakistan continue to clash over Kashmir.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Photo/M. Desfor
Like US and Canada?
Liberal historians say that Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi wanted cordial ties between newly independent states. Jinnah, for instance, believed that ties between India and Pakistan should be similar to those between the US and Canada. But after his death in 1948, his successors followed a collision course with New Delhi.
Image: AP
The 'other'
Indian and Pakistani governments present very different accounts of the partition. While India emphasizes the Indian National Congress' freedom movement against British rulers - with Gandhi as its main architect - Pakistani textbooks focus on a "struggle" against both British and Hindu "oppression." State propaganda in both countries paints each other as an "enemy" that cannot be trusted.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Photo/M. Desfor
Worsening ties
Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have remained acrimonious for the past seven decades. The issue of Islamist terrorism has marred relations in the last few years, with New Delhi accusing Islamabad of backing Islamist jihadists to wage a war in India-administered Kashmir. India also blames Pakistan-based groups for launching terror attacks on Indian soil. Islamabad denies these claims.
Image: Picture alliance/AP Photo/D. Yasin
The way forward
Many young people in both India and Pakistan are urging their governments to improve bilateral ties. Islamabad-based documentary filmmaker Wajahat Malik believes the best way for India and Pakistan to develop a closer relationship is through more interaction between their peoples. "Trade and tourism are the way forward for us. When people come together, the states will follow suit," Malik told DW.
