Each year, as India observes the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistan attempts to replay a familiar script: portraying itself as a “victim of terrorism,” distancing from the masterminds who planned one of the deadliest assaults in modern history.
But seventeen years later, the evidence trail — spanning multiple attacks, confessions, and international investigations — renders that narrative not just hollow but dangerously complicit.
The 2008 Mumbai carnage, executed by ten heavily armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives who infiltrated India via sea, was a watershed moment.
Over 170 lives were lost, including citizens from 15 nations, and India presented irrefutable proof of Pakistan’s involvement: from GPS data to intercepted calls linking the attackers to handlers in Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Yet Islamabad responded with predictable deflection: calling it the act of “non-state actors,” denying state complicity, and promising “investigations” that never meaningfully progressed.
This framing of terrorism as the work of “rogue elements” or “non-state actors” has become Pakistan’s most enduring shield—one that masks the deep state’s symbiotic relationship with jihadi groups.
But a closer look at the trajectory of terror incidents since 26/11 exposes the bankruptcy of this claim. The same infrastructure — training camps, financial networks, and logistical corridors — has continued to feed cross-border attacks on Indian soil with disturbing regularity.
The Pattern Behind Pakistan’s Denial
Consider the 2010 Jaipur serial blasts, a coordinated attack that killed around 80 people. Investigations revealed the hand of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), a group whose operatives had received ideological and technical training across the border.
LeT’s facilitation of such outfits was no secret. Yet Pakistan’s official position remained unchanged: “no evidence,” “baseless allegations,” and “India’s attempt to malign Pakistan.”
Fast forward to the 2016 Uri attack, where four heavily armed terrorists struck an Indian Army base, killing 19 soldiers. Indian intelligence traced the assault to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), another UN-designated terror organisation nurtured in Pakistan.
Satellite imagery, confessional statements, and even intercepted communications left little ambiguity. But Islamabad again invoked its tested narrative — “false flag operation” — a line repeated across its political and media ecosystem to deny accountability.
When the Pulwama attack followed in February 2019, killing 40 CRPF personnel, Pakistan’s duplicity reached a new peak. JeM publicly claimed responsibility, and the suicide bomber, Adil Ahmad Dar, appeared in a propaganda video released from Pakistan-based media channels.
Yet Islamabad again called it “an internal matter of India,” denying any link to its soil. India’s retaliatory Balakot airstrikes only further exposed how Pakistan’s tolerance for such groups was not incidental: it was strategic.
Even as recently as the 2025 Pahalgam attack, where terrorists ambushed Indian security convoys, intelligence reports pointed once again to handlers operating out of Pakistan-administered territories.
Despite overwhelming indicators of cross-border coordination, Islamabad stuck to the same script: “unverified claims,” “Indian propaganda,” and “Pakistan itself is a victim of terror.”
The Global Community’s Changing Tone
For years, Pakistan’s ability to deflect criticism relied on the world’s reluctance to confront it head-on, largely due to geopolitical considerations: its role in Afghanistan, its ties with China, and its nuclear status. But the tide has gradually turned.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed Pakistan on its “grey list” in 2018 for failing to curb terror financing, citing groups like LeT and JeM explicitly.
This designation forced Islamabad to make symbolic crackdowns, including temporary arrests of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. But these moves were largely cosmetic: the infrastructure persisted, the ideologues thrived, and the narrative of innocence continued.
At the United Nations, India’s sustained diplomatic efforts ensured that several Pakistan-based terrorists were designated under the 1267 Sanctions Committee.
Even nations that once hesitated to call out Islamabad — such as France, Germany, and Australia — began explicitly referencing Pakistan’s obligations to curb terrorism.
The US State Department’s annual “Country Reports on Terrorism” continues to identify Pakistan as a territory where designated groups “operate freely and target India and Afghanistan.”
China remains Pakistan’s most consistent diplomatic protector, often blocking UN sanctions citing “technical reasons.” Yet even Beijing’s patience has shown limits in recent years as Pakistan’s instability grows and global scrutiny intensifies.
The Anniversary as a Mirror of Truth
The 26/11 anniversary, therefore, is more than a memorial; it is a mirror reflecting Pakistan’s ongoing duplicity. Every candle lit in memory of the victims is also a reminder of unfulfilled justice and unacknowledged complicity.
The passage of time has not dulled the facts: the handlers of the Mumbai attackers were identified, their communication traced, and their ideological sponsors known.
To this day, Pakistan has neither dismantled the networks behind LeT and JeM nor prosecuted their leadership with credibility. The cycle of denial, deflection, and delay has allowed these groups to regenerate, mutate, and strike again.
For the international community, the lesson of 26/11 remains vital: unless Pakistan’s denial machinery is challenged, the architecture of terror it shelters will continue to threaten regional stability.
For India, the memory of 26/11 is not just about the past—it is a call to remain vigilant against the narratives of innocence that conceal deliberate violence.
In essence, 26/11 is not just a date; it is an enduring test of truth. Pakistan’s insistence on innocence stands exposed against a decades-long record of enabling terror, and remembrance must also mean recognition: the facts have never been on Pakistan’s side
