Branding Mumbai terror attacks as a crime against humanity, an influential Republican lawmaker has said the perpetrators of such heinous crime should be tried by an international tribunal.
Sounding the call, Ed Royce from California, who is Ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism and
Nonproliferation, said those involved in planning these attacks should be transferred to face trial before the international community in The Hague.
This is the first time that a call has been made to make terrorist acts' planners and those who carry out the attacks to be brought before such an international tribunal.
"There is no reason for us to be secure in the belief that these planners would face justice in Pakistan," Royce said complaining that terrorists who planned earlier attack on Indian Parliament had been let off after initial arrest.
The Congressman told PTI: "These attacks are crimes against humanity. The realisation that a terror training camp
was being maintained and churning out terrorists across, has left us all with the realisation that we have to leverage
Pakistan to close down those camps."
"Those should be convicted and locked in a cage for rest of their lives," he said.
"So I think, when you have a pattern of behaviour, which Pakistanis exhibited in the past, by initially arresting the
perpetrators and those involved in the planning after the attack on the Parliament and then releasing them, there is no reason for us to be secure in the believe that these planners would face justice," Royce said.
That is why; the Congressman said he is suggesting this approach that these terrorists be tried in the international court of justice.Royce hoped that the new Obama Administration would support the efforts of the US lawmakers in the Congress to make funding into Pakistan conditional. Legislation is this regard is pending in the Senate right now.
He said Pakistan should stamp out the LeT and all the US aid to the country should be routed through the civilian government rather than military."We are monitoring those conditions to make sure that they are met," he said, adding that he would be active on legislation in this regard in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Royce said there are many ways to leverage over Pakistan and make sure that it stops assisting terrorists
within its territories.
"These attacks are absolutely horrific targeting as they did innocent civilians. This no longer represents an attempt to destabilize South Asia. The LeT has now risen to the point of destabilizing Europe and potentially America," he said. So all democratic countries must work together with international communities to put a halt on all such activities
emanating from Pakistan, he said.
Coverage: Mumbai terrror attacks