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PRESS RELEASE Remarks by H.E. Mr. Dinesh Bhatia, Charge d’Affaires of India to Kuwait during Condolence Meeting on December 4, 2008
My fellow countrymen, Well-wishers of India in Kuwait, Dignitaries from the Kuwaiti civic society and Diplomatic Corps, members of media present here and Friends.
First of all, I would like to thank each one of you present today for showing solidarity against the worst menace the world is facing today – the terrorism.
The ordeal at Mumbai, which occupied the attention of the entire nation and the whole world, finally came to an end after 60 long hours. All of us share the grief of those who have lost their loved ones in this dastardly and brutal attack and also the pain and anguish of those grievously wounded. We cannot lessen their grief. But we can alleviate their suffering by sharing it. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India has solemnly assured that the Government will look after the needs of those who have survived this horrible tragedy.
Today, we salute the bravery of our security forces who fought the terrorists in exceptionally difficult circumstances. They tried their utmost to save innocent lives at great personal risk. Twenty officers and men made the ultimate sacrifice by laying down their lives. The entire nation owes a debt of gratitude to these men that we can never repay.
We have had terrorist attacks before also. But this attack was different. It was an attack by highly trained and well-armed terrorists targeting our largest city and the financial capital. They came with the explicit aim of killing large numbers of innocent civilians, including foreign visitors.
Following these attacks, several measures have been put into place by the Government of India to deal with the situation. But clearly much more needs to be done. The Government is determined to take all necessary measures to overhaul the system.
The Government of India has decided that the anti-terrorist forces of the country will be further strengthened and streamlined. The National Security Guard, which is the principal anti-terrorist force of the country, will be given additional facilities and the size of the force is being augmented. Steps have also been initiated to establish another 4 NSG hubs in different parts of the country. The Government has also finalized a set of legal measures including the setting up of a Federal Investigating Agency.
At this critical juncture, the nation needs to build a consensus on what needs to be done to strengthen the ability of our system to meet these threats. The terrorists and the enemies of our nation must know that their actions unite rather than divide us.
The Indian civic society is experiencing the feeling of anger and deep outrage which we all share, following the terror attacks in Mumbai. These were preceded by similar terrorist attacks in other cities in India earlier this year in Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Delhi. Almost 350 innocent lives have been lost in these attacks collectively and more than 730 people injured. Government of India is determined to act decisively to protect India’s territorial integrity and the right of our citizens to a peaceful life with all the means at its disposal.
At this time of need, India has shared its assessment of these terrorist attacks with the international community. India looks forward to the international community’s cooperation in its long-standing struggle against terrorism.
I, on behalf of the Government of India, take this opportunity to convey our sincere thanks to the leadership: His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait; His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait; His Highness Sheikh Nasser Mohamad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait; the Government; the media; and the friendly people of the State of Kuwait for their condolences and the support. I also appreciate strong condemnation and denouncement by the State of Kuwait of these sinful criminal acts as well as terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
I would also like to express my deep satisfaction on the safe return of all the Kuwaiti nationals who were detained in the two besieged hotels in Mumbai. I wish them and their families the very best.
The last but not the least, I would like to make a mention of our security personnel particularly Mr. Hemant Karkare, the Inspector General and the Chief of Anti-Terrorism Squad, his Deputy Inspector General Mr. Ashok Kamte and Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan of National Security Guard and other officers and men of the security forces who laid their lives not only in the call of their duty but far above and beyond. I am personally disturbed at the loss of these lives as I had closely known two of these martyrs, namely, Mr. Hemant Karkare and Mr. Ashok Kamte. On behalf of all of you and on my own personal behalf, I would like to pay special tribute to Mr. Karkare whom I had known as one of the brightest and most intelligent police officers that India had. My relations with Mr. Ashok Kamte date back to 1992 when we were trained together in Mussoorie. A very sharp and keen officer at the professional level and very handsome young man interested in body building was an extremely friendly soul. I pray to the God-Almighty for resting the soul in peace of all the martyrs in Mumbai attacks.
I would like to now call upon all of you to observe silence for two minutes in the memory of the departed souls.
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