Lashkar Chief Roams Free Despite Earlier ₹71cr Reward

The US has announced a fresh reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual who was involved in the planning or facilitating the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has asked Pakistan to act against those responsible for 26/11 as Washington announced a new reward of $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of those involved in the carnage.

The United States offered the new reward (of over Rs 35 crore) on the 10th anniversary of the terror attack in which10 Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists went on a shooting rampage inMumbai killing 166 people, including six Americans.

Describing the Mumbai terror attack as a “barbarity”, Pompeo called upon Pakistan and other nations to uphold their UN Security Council obligations to implement sanctions against those responsible for the atrocity, including the LeT and its affiliates. “It is an affront to the families of the victims that, after ten years, those who planned the Mumbai attack have still not been convicted for their involvement,” Pompeo said in a statement.

“The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Programme is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of any individual who committed, conspired to commit, or aided or abetted in the execution of the 2008 Mumbai attack,” the statement further said, making it clear to Islamabad that the Trump administration was not happy with the slow pace of the trial involving seven LeT suspects, including its operations commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, who is out on bail.

“Key members of this heinous plot remain at large, and this investigation remains active and ongoing. This reward offer extends to any individual who bears responsibility for this act of terror,” the RFJ said in a separate statement.

The State Department’s new announcement marks the third RFJ reward offer seeking information on the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack. Under this, Washington announced a $10 million (Rs 71 crore) bounty for information leading to Hafiz Saeed's arrest and conviction. PTI

Courtesy: Times of India: 26th Nov, 2018