Indian Americans ask UN to declare Pak terrorist state

New York, Dec 22 (PTI) Braving sub zero temperature
and cold wind, more than 200 supporters and workers of dozens
of Indian American organisation held a demonstration outside
the UN, seeking the world body declare Pakistan a terrorist
state.

The demonstrators, from New York and adjoining New
Jersey and Connecticut states spearheaded by Overseas Friends
of BJP (OFBJP) and Indian American Intellectual Forum,
demanded that the international community take action against
Saudi Arabia also as groups based there had been funding the
terror operations which are planned and executed from
Pakistan.

The international community, they said, need impose
economic sanction against Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and force
Islamabad to rein in its "infamous" Inter-Service Intelligence
(ISI) which, they alleged, provides logistic and other support
to terrorists.

If Pakistan does not hand over the suspects that India
has demanded, they should be tried by the International
Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, they said.

The demonstrators carried pictures of Jewish couple
Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and wife Rivka, who were murdered by
the terrorists during Mumbai attacks, with caption: "It is a
crime to be a Jew?"

The demonstration began with a silence observed for
one minute to pay homage to the victims of Mumbai attacks and
the police officers who were killed in the action.

"Who is funding terrorism?' Saudi Arabia," "Down with
Pakistan," "Pakistan, a failed state," "stop aid to Pakistan,"
and "Radical Islam is the worldwide problem," were among the
slogans that they shouted.

Gaurang Vaishnav, a spokesperson of the Tristate
Indians under whose banner the demonstration was organized,
said that it was important that countries such as US, Britain,
Israel and India come together to evolve a strategy to root
out the terrorism.

The demonstrators also demanded a more aggressive
action by India and carried a placard which read, "How many
Mumbais will it take for the Indian government to act?"

"Terrorism: all roads lead to Pakistan," "Expose
Pakistan's duplicity in the war on terror," "Pakistan a rouge
State," and "Denuclearize Pakistan" were some other placard
carried by the demonstrators.

Dr Radharaman Upadhyay, another spokesperson, said
that the world will be devoured by the "python of Islamic
terrorism" unless it takes effective steps now to counter it.

The organizations expressed satisfaction over the
attendance, pointing it shows the strength of the cause
to see so many people even in sub zero temperature with snow
and sleet falling. Had the weather been good, they were
expecting some 600 people, they said. PTI