Kasab gone but has justice been done?

On the morning of November 21, 2012, when people in India were getting ready for their daily routine of life, there came a news, unexpected and truly “breaking”. Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving assailant of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, was hanged to death at the Yerawada central prison in Pune at 7:30 am. The complete process was done in a secret manner, codenamed Operation X, with only a few people being kept in the loop of things.

As soon as the news of the hanging spread, the reactions came pouring in. People expressed their surprise and joy at the news. There were reports of people bursting crackers to ‘celebrate’ the hanging. The survivors and the relatives of the deceased in the Mumbai attack welcomed the news.

But the question is: Has justice really been done? Does the hanging of Ajmal Kasab imply that the Mumbai attack conspirators have been punished? No, this has not happened. Kasab was just a ‘foot soldier’ of Lashkar-e-Taiba, who was brain-washed and trained to kill people. He was one among the many unemployed and frustrated youths of Pakistan, who fall into the grip of the militants and become a part of the ‘jihad’ these groups preach.

The actual conspirators of the Mumbai attack are yet to be caught and punished. Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the attack is still free. Apart from him, there are 34 more persons in the list who are yet to be arrested in connection to the case. So, it cannot be said that justice has been done.

Unless and until, a strong position is taken by India in the matter, justice will still be eluding. The Indian government has to apply appropriate diplomatic pressure with its Pakistani counterpart to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice. Only then the killings of the 2008 Mumbai attacks will be avenged.