Pakistan Charges 7 Suspects over Mumbai Bombings 1 Year on

Exactly one day before the first anniversary of the Mumbai bombings, a court in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, has charged seven suspects.

Charged under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism act and criminal code, all seven, including Zaki Ur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged master-mind behind the attacks, have pleaded not guilty.

The attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) began on November 26, 2008, and over the next three days, at least 173 people were killed, including 5 British nationals, with several hundreds injured. The famous Taj Mahal Palace hotel, scene of much of the carnage, was severely damaged by fire caused by the bombs.

In court in July, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab admitted his role in the killings. At the time, prosecutors said that Qasab was the sole surviving attacker in the Mumbai massacre.

In November, the Indian Minister of Home Affairs, Palaniappan Chidambaram had warned that Pakistan was still not doing enough to curb future terrorist attacks on Indian soil.

“I have been warning Pakistan,” announced, the Indian minister, "not to play games with us. If terrorists from Pakistan try to carry out any attacks in India, they will not only be defeated, but will be retaliated against very strongly."

There is a mass of evidence that jihadist groups in Pakistan are indeed planning operations. Last month, the FBI detained two men of Pakistani origin, Tahawwur Rana and David Headley, on multiple charges, including plotting attacks against India.

Police in Bangladesh have arrested three Lashkar operatives who they say were planning to blow up India's diplomatic mission in Dhaka.

infiltration by jihadists across the volatile Line of Control in Kashmir has shown signs of escalation, sparking off repeated skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops.

Even as Pakistan battles Islamist terrorists on its soil, it has shown little interest in dismantling the jihadist infrastructure directed against India. Lashkar's offices, like those of other anti-Indian groups, are still open.

Initial reaction by India to the indictment of the seven suspects is mixed. There is widespread disappointment in Delhi, the Indian capital, that Hafiz Saeed, the head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa aid group, has not yet been arrested or charged.

Saeed, placed under house arrest by Pakistani authorities in September 2009, is one of India's most wanted men.