New York: The United States is committed to pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of the 2008 Mumbai attack no matter how "arduous" the task is, a top Indian-origin American diplomat has said.
"We have certainly reiterated our support and our commitment to India's efforts to seek justice on behalf of the victims" of the 26/11 attack, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal said when asked about the delay in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 terror attacks.
Biswal, who had travelled to the city from Washington to speak at the Indian Consulate General's Media-India Lecture Series on Tuesday, said not only were there a large number of Indian victims in the attack but there were Americans also who lost their lives.
"We are committed to seeking justice on behalf of all of those victims. It is an issue that we continue to press in our discussions" with the nations in the region and with all the relevant authorities, she added.
Given that nearly seven years have passed since the horrendous terror attacks that claimed over 160 lives and injured many others, Biswal said bringing justice for the victims in terror attacks may appear to be an arduous and long-drawn process.
"It is not an easy path and it never has been for these kinds of acts. The (path) of justice sometimes is very long and arduous but we are committed to pursuing that no matter how long the journey and how arduous the task," she said.
Biswal underlined that the US on its part had offered rewards for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of individuals associated with the Mumbai attack.
Referring to the terror attack in Punjab's Gurdaspur district on July 27, Biswal said the US has strongly condemned and expressed its concern over the attack.
She said the US has expressed its cooperation with Indian authorities on on any specific aspects of the incident.
"But the broader issue is the increasing and deepening cooperation between our law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies and between our governments at large to address the broader problems of terrorism and extremism and our partnerships across the region to try to address these issues," she said.
On media reports that the night vision device used by three terrorists in the Gurdaspur attack had US markings, Biswal said the US is in conversation with Indian authorities to try to ascertain and trace the origins of the equipment found.
"We will continue to work very closely with the Indian government on those issues," she said, adding that it is an ongoing process and the US is working with Indian authorities to address issues of concern emanating from the incident.
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