Mumbaikars want retribution for terror attacks: Thackeray

PUNE, Dec 26 (Agencies): Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today asked politicians to stop glorifying the resilient spirit of Mumbai in the aftermath of the November 26 terror attack and show "the iron will" to engage the Indian armed forces in a decisive battle to crush the hostile neighbour.

"Let us not forget the fact that ten Pakistan-trained terrorists who attacked the commercial capital of India taking the sea route killed over 200 innocent civilians and 16 uniformed men in the country," Thackeray said an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamna'.

"Despite the universal knowledge of its springboard support to anti-India elements, Pakistan is not only denying the nationality of captured terrorist Kasab but also talking about giving a fitting reply to an Indian response to the situation," he said.

In a sarcastic reference to the much-hyped spirit of Mumbai, Thackeray said even after the 1993 serial bomb blasts, the city was back to its chores the next day and the stock market too transacted business.

"Now Taj and Oberoi have reopened again underlining the spirit of Mumbai which is worthy of praise.

But if political leaders feel that the metropolis has put behind the November 26 attack as it starts anew, they are mistaken," the Sena chief said.

"People are scared but have to pull on with the compulsion of earning their daily bread.

And when they leave their homes every day to sweat and earn, they also carry with them an angst.

While hailing the indomitable spirit of the people, the rulers and politicians should not forget this bitter fact," he said.

Thackeray said it was a pity that the proxy war unleashed by Pakistan against India has claimed the lives of an estimated 25,000 people across the nation in recent years.

The Indian politicians have presented a spectacle of "wearing bangles" in their hands while Pakistan is training guns on innocent civilians.

But the people of Mumbai and India if not the rulers, are keen on retribution, he added.

Our unity will be the greatest weapon against terrorism: Prez NAGPUR, Dec 26 (Agencies): President Pratibha Patil today described the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes as an attack on the nation's composite culture and identity.

We cannot allow our national ethos to be affected by terrorists who have been brought up in an environment of intolerance, Patil said while inaugurating a two-day national conference on 'Communal Harmony and Social Peace', organised by Rashtra Sant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University here.

"Our unity will be the greatest weapon in our armour in the fight against terrorism", Patil said, adding, that after the Mumbai attacks, the global community had expressed its complete solidarity with India.

Patil said the terror attacks had rightly evoked strong reactions and deserved to be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

The time has come when all nations need to join hands to work collectively against this common enemy the phenomenon of global terrorism, she said.

Terrorism and its sponsors have to be defeated for building a peaceful world, she added.

Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir, state Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Vilas Muttemwar and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal were among those present on the occasion.