Over 100 activists of a US-based Indo-American group, affiliated to the BJP, held a protest demonstration outside the United Nations headquarters here, demanding the world body declare Pakistan a ‘terrorist state’ in the wake of the Mumbai attacks."Nothing short of that would help," the supporters of the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) asserted, while dismissing sanctions against Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a front organisation of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) blamed for the November 26 attacks, and four of its men as an ‘eye wash.’Pakistan never implemented its earlier ban on LeT and allowed its leaders to work in freedom to recruit and train terrorists and collect funds, they charged on Friday."What is different this time?" they asked and sent a petition to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanding that the world body threaten Pakistan with action unless it reins in terrorists operating from its territory."Otherwise, the world would witness another Mumbai massacre soon," they warned, while carrying placards listing the demands.Several participants suggested India should attack terrorist training camps inside Pakistan if Islamabad fails to do so within a short time.But the Mumbai attacks, they said, were ‘most audacious’ so far as their planning and execution was concerned and showed that ‘weak action’ by Indian government had encouraged them.But advocating more balanced approach, NRIs for Secular and Harmonious India (NRI-SAHI) commended the Indian government for not escalating the situation on the borders with Pakistan while simultaneously sending a strong message to Islamabad against encouraging terrorist outfits.Cautioning the opposition parties which are demanding ‘war’ with Pakistan, NRI-SAHI said any conflict would be ‘disastrous’."Children of both countries need books, need bread and not bombs and bullets," it said.It also pointed out that Pakistan itself has been victim of terrorism and has suffered severely at the hands of religious extremists.But it is important that Pakistan destroys all terror network so that the region could live in peace, it added.
