The United States on Wednesday asked Pakistan to dismantle Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a terror group responsible for several terrorist attacks inside India, including 26/11 and attack on the Parliament.
"We continue to strongly condemn the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. We also continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to dismantle Lashkar-e-Taiba and to support regional and global efforts to combat terrorism," US state department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told PTI.
The United States, which so far has been urging Pakistan to take action against LeT and its leaders, has for the first time urged Pakistan to dismantle the terror outfit. For some experts, this could be also a tacit acknowledgement of existence of LeT structure and terror networks inside Pakistan.
The strong US statement came a day after the US State Department told the Department of Justice that the two former chiefs of Pakistani spy agency ISI – Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Nadeem Taj – have immunity in 26/11 case filed in a New York court. "It is important to note that this submission is based on one specific case and should not be viewed as a US government determination on the merits of the Plaintiffs' claims," Nuland told PTI when asked about the determination made in this regard by the US state department and the department of justice affidavit filed before a New York court on Monday.
"On December 17, the US department of justice filed a statement of interest and suggestion of immunity in this case involving the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. I will refer you to that public filing, and to the Department of Justice for additional questions on the technical legal aspects of this filing," she said.
