'Human Cost of Terrorism' exhibition commemorates 26/11 Mumbai attacks in UK

London, Nov 26 (PTI) A special exhibition around the theme of a shared global commitment to peace and the profound human impact of terrorism was organised by the High Commission of India in London on Wednesday

in commemoration of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

‘The Human Cost of Terrorism’ display at the National Liberal Club included stark imagery and digital installations highlighting the deadly attacks faced by India, including the Pahalgam terror strikes in April and attacks targeted at the UK and other parts of the world.

The central message of the event was to reiterate that “terrorism anywhere is terrorism everywhere”, necessitating a united stance against such violent and divisive forces wherever they may be.

“We mark 26/11 as a day to remember the human cost of terrorism, bearing in mind the events of November 2008, when the city of Mumbai came under attack,” Vikram Doraiswami, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, said in his address.

“It is a human story. It is a story that is not an Indian story alone. It is something we share with our friends in the United Kingdom. Acts of terror have happened here, equally brutal, equally sudden, and with equal impact upon ordinary life.

“And I think it’s important that we remember that the only way in which all civilised societies can deal with these crimes is to be able to act collectively,” he said.

Doraiswami stressed that societies and democracies like India and the UK have the resilience and the fortitude to respond to terrorism.

“We are open societies, we are democracies, and we will find a way of dealing with these matters in the best way that is necessary to take action and to stop these monsters,” he said.

Tom Tugendhat, a security minister in the former Conservative Party government in the UK, recalled his visit to Mumbai in the wake of the terrorist attacks to learn some lessons ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

“I see this not as an Indian event, but as a global event; and in that sense, as a British event too, so that we can share the lessons, but also the courage to stand up to this evil,” said the Opposition Tory MP.

Doraiswami then led the gathering, including House of Lords peer Baroness Sandy Verma, to review the exhibition packed with key statistics and harrowing human voices in videos from those impacted by terrorist attacks.

One of the panels also showcased India’s contribution to combatting terrorism on the world stage, including as a donor to the United Nations’ Global Coordinated Programme on Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT). PTI AK SCY SCY