Mumbai Attacks

[BanglaBhoot]

Guests trapped in a Mumbai hotel seized by gunmen last month have told the BBC they were given instructions by police that may have led to more people dying.

A survivor who had been hiding at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel said some guests were shot and killed by the militants after police said it was safe to leave.

The senior policeman in charge of the operation in the hotel has denied the allegations against his officers.

The attacks left at least 173 people dead, including nine of the 10 gunmen.

India blames Pakistan-based militants Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the 26 November attacks.

LeT and the Pakistani government have denied any involvement.

Two of the hotels caught up in the attacks, the Trident-Oberoi and Taj Mahal Palace, are to re-open on Sunday.

Armed guards and sniffer dogs have been stationed at both hotels and X-ray machines are to screen guests' bags.

'Suspicious'

A prominent Mumbai gynaecologist, Dr Prashant Mangeshikar, was trapped in the Taj Mahal hotel along with hundreds of other guests as gunmen stormed into the building, firing indiscriminately.

Terrified, he and others barricaded themselves into a room and waited.

Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, police officers made it through to where they were hiding and told people it was safe to leave the hotel because the gunmen were cornered on another floor.

Some went ahead but Dr Mangeshikar held back.

"I was a little suspicious that the police were actually sending these guys down a different route where the terrorists were supposed to be," he told the BBC's Adam Mynott.

"I refused to move away and the people who ran ahead of me, about 20 or 30 of them, all of them died."

A dress designer from the city says her aunt was shot dead and her cousin seriously wounded because they followed police instructions to try to leave.

The designer, Shilpa, described the police conduct as disgraceful.

They had no right, she said, to risk people's lives.

Hotels re-open

The senior policeman in charge of the operation in the hotel has denied these allegations against his officers.

But they add to growing criticism of the police and how they responded to the attack, says our correspondent.

The government of India's Maharashtra state has already announced an investigation into two senior policemen over alleged failure to act on warnings of the attacks.

India's interior minister and Maharashtra state chief minister have already resigned.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said claims that the sole surviving attacker had been identified by his own father as coming from Pakistan had not been proven. The man has been named as Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab and is in Indian police custody.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Deaths from Mumbai 'police error'

 

[Cheetah786]

Guests trapped in a Mumbai hotel seized by gunmen last month have told the BBC they were given instructions by police that may have led to more people dying.

A survivor who had been hiding at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel said some guests were shot and killed by the militants after police said it was safe to leave.

The senior policeman in charge of the operation in the hotel has denied the allegations against his officers.

The attacks left at least 173 people dead, including nine of the 10 gunmen.

India blames Pakistan-based militants Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the 26 November attacks.

LeT and the Pakistani government have denied any involvement.

Two of the hotels caught up in the attacks, the Trident-Oberoi and Taj Mahal Palace, are to re-open on Sunday.

Armed guards and sniffer dogs have been stationed at both hotels and X-ray machines are to screen guests' bags.

'Suspicious'

A prominent Mumbai gynaecologist, Dr Prashant Mangeshikar, was trapped in the Taj Mahal hotel along with hundreds of other guests as gunmen stormed into the building, firing indiscriminately.

Terrified, he and others barricaded themselves into a room and waited.

Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, police officers made it through to where they were hiding and told people it was safe to leave the hotel because the gunmen were cornered on another floor.

Some went ahead but Dr Mangeshikar held back.

"I was a little suspicious that the police were actually sending these guys down a different route where the terrorists were supposed to be," he told the BBC's Adam Mynott.

"I refused to move away and the people who ran ahead of me, about 20 or 30 of them, all of them died."

A dress designer from the city says her aunt was shot dead and her cousin seriously wounded because they followed police instructions to try to leave.

The designer, Shilpa, described the police conduct as disgraceful.

They had no right, she said, to risk people's lives.

Hotels re-open

The senior policeman in charge of the operation in the hotel has denied these allegations against his officers.

But they add to growing criticism of the police and how they responded to the attack, says our correspondent.

The government of India's Maharashtra state has already announced an investigation into two senior policemen over alleged failure to act on warnings of the attacks.

India's interior minister and Maharashtra state chief minister have already resigned.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said claims that the sole surviving attacker had been identified by his own father as coming from Pakistan had not been proven. The man has been named as Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab and is in Indian police custody.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Deaths from Mumbai 'police error'

Looks like some one was trying to have as many killed as possible.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

India is keeping 'open' the option of a military strike on Pakistani soil even as the two hotels attacked in Mumbai reopened their doors.

As the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and the nearby Trident-Oberoi invited guests through their doors following the attacks that killed more than 170 people, the Indian government made clear that it held Pakistan responsible.

"Terrorism remains a scourge for our region. If a country [Pakistan] cannot keep the assurances that it has given, then it obliges us to consider the entire range of options that exist to protect our interests and people from this menace," said Pranab Mukherjee, the Indian foreign minister.

Mr Mukherjee and the defence minister A K Antony met India's three service chiefs and senior security officials on Saturday to consider all possible scenarios against their nuclear rival and neighbour, which they believe has given shelter to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Islamist group accused of masterminding the Mumbai attacks.

Guests have already begun to trickle into the Trident, with about 100 of the 550 rooms booked and all four restaurants operational for the first full day of business in just over three weeks.

Earlier a private, multi-faith ceremony "to pray for solace and a safer future in the days ahead" was held at the hotel.

At the Taj over 1,000 guests including leading businessmen and celebrities attended a private reception before the reopening of 268 rooms and seven restaurants in the 105-year old waterfront hotel, which is a landmark in India's commercial capital.

The owners have vowed to restore the Taj to its former glory after it was ravaged by fire, bullets and grenades as gunmen fought commandos in a battle lasting almost three days.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that guests trapped in the Taj when the violence erupted on Nov 26 were shot and killed by the gunmen after police said it was safe for them to leave.

"I was a little suspicious that the police were actually sending these guys down a different route where the terrorists were supposed to be," said Dr Prashant Mangeshikar, who was trapped in the hotel along with hundreds of other guests.

"I refused to move away and the people who ran ahead of me, about 20 or 30 of them, all of them died," he said.

The Mumbai police have denied the claim.

India threatens Pakistan as Mumbai hotels reopen - Telegraph

 

[slugger]

Prayers and flowers mark Mumbai hotel opening

A multi-faith prayer ceremony marked the reopening on Sunday of Mumbai's Trident hotel, one of the sites of last month's terror attacks, with scanners and roses greeting guests as they made their way into the gleaming lobby.

The hotel's 550 rooms, three restaurants and the bar were opened following Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist prayers in the lobby which three weeks ago was strewn with broken glass and streaks of blood. Guests held pink roses and staff stood with hands folded on the staircase leading to the adjacent Oberoi hotel which remains closed, as religious verses were chanted.

"We are feeling sad as we are reminded of the events, but we are also happy that the hotel is open again," said Rashmi Mehra, a regular at the Frangipani restaurant, who lost a friend in the Nov 26-29 attacks in which 32 guests and staff were killed.

"We are going to see if we can get a table for lunch -- we were told it's fully booked."

Enquiries for rooms and restaurant bookings have been pouring in, although hotel authorities said on Saturday that cancellation rates have been 30-35 percent following Islamist militant attacks that killed at least 179 people.

The nearby historic Taj Mahal Hotel, site of a 60-hour siege, will throw open its doors later on Sunday to more than 1,000 clients and guests for a gala reception.

"WELCOME HOME"

Sunday's newspapers carried a large advertisement with the stunning dome of the Taj Mahal and a headline that said: "Welcome home again."

Authorities at the Trident said at least 100 rooms would be occupied at the hotel, a favourite of foreign business executives, and the restaurants were expected to be full.

"A guest walking in will find no trace of what happened," Rattan Keswani, president of the Trident Hotels said.

"We believe the time has come to look forward to the future. Now, the fears of travellers and governments that have issued travel advisories must be allayed so people will return to Mumbai."

Damage to the Oberoi hotel was still being assessed, and it might take six-seven months to reopen, Keswani added.

Baggage scanners, metal detectors, sniffer dogs and armed police behind sandbags are positioned at the entrance to the hotel, with guests also being frisked. The Trident is working with a security agency to put in place systems in Mumbai and in other locations, Keswani said.

"There are all kinds of deterrents in place, but can anyone have avoided an armed assault of that nature? Probably not."

At Leopold Cafe, another of the 10 sites that were attacked, regulars and curious visitors have flocked back, despite the bullet holes that are still visible in its walls and windows.

Source

 

[Captain03]

they still havent given the world any evidence of pakistan being involved in the mumbai attacks
so basically their just being idiots right now by trying to threaten us

 

[thorosius]

'Deaths from Mumbai police error'

Guests trapped in a Mumbai hotel seized by gunmen last month have told the BBC they were given instructions by police that may have led to more people dying.

Police told a group hiding in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel that it was safe to leave the building, a survivor said.

But members of the group were shot and killed by militant gunmen as they were making their way out.

The senior policeman in charge of the operation in the hotel has denied the allegations against his officers.

'Suspicious'

A prominent Mumbai gynaecologist, Dr Prashant Mangeshikar, was trapped in the Taj Mahal hotel along with hundreds of other guests as gunmen stormed into the building, firing indiscriminately.

Terrified, he and others barricaded themselves into a room and waited.

Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, police officers made it through to where they were hiding and told people it was safe to leave the hotel because the gunmen were cornered on another floor.

Some went ahead but Dr Mangeshikar held back.

"I was a little suspicious that the police were actually sending these guys down a different route where the terrorists were supposed to be," he said.

"I refused to move away and the people who ran ahead of me, about 20 or 30 of them, all of them died."

A dress designer from the city says her aunt was shot dead and her cousin seriously wounded because they followed police instructions to try to leave.

The designer, Shilpa, described the police conduct as disgraceful.

They had no right, she said, to risk people's lives.

The senior policeman in charge of the operation in the hotel has denied these allegations against his officers.

But they add to growing criticism of the police and how they responded to the attack in which more than 170 people were killed.

Listen to Adam Mynott's full report on BBC World ServiceNewshour on 21 December at 1200, 2000 or 2100 GMT.

---
BBC NEWS | South Asia | Deaths from Mumbai 'police error'

 

[masterofsea]

This is a reasonable reply. This world need people like him for peace.

 

[Pk_Thunder]

Pakistan acted responsibly after Mumbai attacks: Mike Mullen​

Updated at: 2229 PST, Monday, December 22, 2008

ISLAMABAD: U.S. chairman joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen in his meeting with Pakistan Chiefs of Army Staff Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on Monday said Pakistan acted responsibly following attacks carried out in Mumbai.

General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has said Pakistan is doing its best to ease the tension with India but “a befitting response will be given if war is thrust upon us”.

Admiral Mike Mullen said the U.S. will also play its role towards lessening tension between the two countries.

Pak Army Chief said Pakistan played a responsible role after the Mumbai attacks. “We want peace with India on equal level… but no compromise will made on Pakistan’s defence,” he added.

The meeting also discussed the matter of providing security to the Nato supplies.

 

[Hayreddin]

So say U.S. officials. "US: India prepared for Pakistan attack, say Pentagon officials," from AKI, December 15 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

Washington, 15 Dec. (AKI) - India began preparations to attack Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, Pentagon officials told US media on Monday. Unnamed defence officials cited by CNN said the Indian Air Force was carrying out preliminary preparations for airstrikes, after the deadly bombings in India's commercial capital that killed over 170 people and injured close to 300 in November.

One official said that India's Air Force 'went on alert', while another said that preliminary preparations can put India in a position to launch airstrikes against suspected terror camps in Pakistan.

US officials made their remarks after an Indian aircraft reportedly violated Pakistani airspace twice on Saturday. Tensions between the nuclear neighbours have risen following the Mumbai attacks.

India says the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Toiba is to blame for the bombings that targeted two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre. However, Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attacks, but has pledged to work with the Indian investigation....

And that cooperation has been going along just swimmingly.

 

[mDumb]

Oh so China is peaceful now, is it?

Forgotten Tibet already?

I'm reading about riots against the police and the administration almost every other day in China - and that's just the stuff that gets reported.

And lets not mention the violence perpetrated by the State.

P.S. Change that American flag to the red one.

You must be ****** huh? What about Tibet? Who did the killing or the violence first? So you would let these terrorists run rampant in Tibet?

And you ****** must be peace loving, huh? Look at what India did to Kashmiris, Assamese, Muslims, etc.

 

[Hayreddin]

The Indian's Upcoming Illegal War Of Aggression India May Still Strike At Islamic Republic Of Pakistan PDF Print E-mail
Written by Pakistan News :: Pakistan Daily
Saturday, 20 December 2008 02:14
India may have ruled out the military option against Pakistan in the aftermath of Mumbai terror attacks but the international intelligence community continues to believe that strikes in Pakistani Kashmir and elsewhere could still happen.
Global intelligence service Stratfor, in its latest report, said, "Indian military operations against targets in Pakistan have in fact been prepared and await the signal to go forward."

It added, "These most likely would take the form of unilateral precision strikes inside Pakistan-administered Kashmir, along with special forces action on the ground in Pakistan proper."

The private sector intelligence service said that unlike the massive movements of 2002 during Operation Parakram, India's preparations this time were more under the radar and not visible to the world at large. Its only indication was the fact that the Border Security Force (BSF) has been put on high alert on the western sector as well as the eastern sector — this paramilitary force's main mandate would be to prevent infiltration.

"Sources have indicated to Stratfor that New Delhi is going through the diplomatic motions in order to give Pakistan the opportunity to take care of the militant problem itself — but the Indians know that Islamabad has neither the will nor the capability to address their concerns," Stratfor said.

Three weeks after the attacks, India has gone out of its way to reassure everyone that it is not thinking of military action on Pakistan. This was most recently conveyed by Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Satyabrata Pal to Awami National Party chief Afsandyar Wali Khan in Islamabad earlier this week. But India continues to tell all its international interlocutors that its patience will not last long, particularly if Islamabad cannot crack down on terrorism.

India's actions thus far have been to build a kind of international consensus that the attacks were sourced in Pakistan. It has led to a huge spurt in international pressure on Pakistan to "do more" to combat terrorism. Almost every member of the international community also believes that the next attack in India would see the gloves come off.

 

[PakSniper]

India has shown a-lot of tough talk in the past, this is no different. One thing India should know "India isn't Israel and Pakistan isn't Lebanon". India itself can expect Pakistan AF strikes on their land, in a justified manner.

 

[SherdiL!]

India has shown a-lot of tough talk in the past, this is no different. One thing India should know "India isn't Israel and Pakistan isn't Lebanon". India itself can expect Pakistan AF strikes on their land, in a justified manner.

Paksniper they can though talk all they want but its not helpfull it just mainly because of elections in thier country.


Pakistan Zindabaad

 

[pardesifr]

Remeber it is not a Bollywood movie when i see indian channel I feel liek they are in a movie

Pakistan Zindabaad

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

“To me, I confess, [countries] are pieces on a chessboard upon which is being played out a game for dominion of the world.”Lord Curzon, viceroy of India, speaking about Afghanistan, 1898

to be honest i still dont think that india will do such a mistake .... of launching a full scale war
but the option of a short term milletary scenario is 500% inevitable
i beleive their r some other elements in this whole game of INDO-PAK tention .
Our true enemy who is till hiden from most of us is playing the card of india and wnats of to measur
1 how much united we are
2 How would our politicians and our armed forces will react
3 and they will be watcing our every move . If we activate any Nuclear Missile they will certinly know whre our nuclear arsenell is placed even, if they dont know they will probabally guess it out .

4. wat will be the rection of taliban
5 wat will be the reaction of CHINA , IRAN , Saudia Arabia , Bangladesh and SIRILANKA and perhaps Russia
The enemy of which i m talkin abt is also behind the killing of Benezir Bhutto and is responicible for Bankrupting our Nation so that we could go to IMF.

Our Enemy is in the process of getting information abt us so that they could role the dice and play their big cards efficiently . India is one of their Cards . and they are playing it very well

There is millteray terM called " EXTERIOR MANEOVER "
WHICH SAYS YOU HAVE TO GET INFO ABT UR ENEMY ONCE GOT ISOLATE UR ENEMY AND TRY TO HIT IT WITH A LOW FORCE AND MEASURE ITS REACTION. IF THERE IS ANY STRENTH IN IT ELIMINATE IT USING ANY OTHER METHOD EXCEPT MILLETARY. ONECE DID . KILL UR ENEMY WITH ALL THE POWER U HAVE.


INDIA ALSO KNOWS US . AFTERS ALL THEY FAOUGHT THREE WARS WITH US ... HOW THEY UNDERESTIMATE US SO MUCH. ITS A GAME BEING PLAYED ON INTERNATIONAL LEVEL .

RIGHT NOW WE ARE ISOLATED . LOCAL PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING A BLOODY WAR AGAINST US . OUR ECONOMY IS DOOMED . AND OUR ARMED FORCES DEMORELIZED .

I BELIEVE THIS NATION IS BLESSED WITH GREAT PEOPLE .
AND IF WE TACKLED ,WENT OUT THIS GAME MATURELY AND UNHARMED WE WILL DEFFINATELY BECOME THE GREATEST NATION ON THIS PLANET. AND I BELIEVE WE WILL... INSHAALLAH