26/11 Mumbai attacks: Trial and related developments

[1.44]

'No action against Lashkar without proof'
​

Pakistan will take action against the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) if proof was found of its involvement in the Mumbai terrorist attacks, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said here on Thursday.

“We will take action against LeT if any proof is found,” Qureshi told reporters when asked what action Pakistan planned to take against the perpetrators of the November 26 Mumbai carnage.

“We are waiting for the confessional statement of Kasab though appropriate channels,” Qureshi said. He was referring to the confession Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone Mumbai attacker in Indian custody, made in a Mumbai court on Monday.

Qureshi’s comments come days after India and Pakistan, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, agreed July 16 to delink action on terror from the composite dialogue process.

Kasab, the only surviving member of the 10-member terrorist squad from Pakistan, Monday confessed his role in the mayhem that left over 170 people killed. He also admitted his nationality as Pakistani.

Army, ISI want role in talks with India

Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency have launched concerted efforts to be involved in talks with India.

Diplomatic and other sources say the two organisations believe they can play a role because they are intrinsically linked to policy-making in Pakistan.

ISI chief Lt General Shuja Pasha, a trusted aide of powerful army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has been involved in the move and reportedly brought up the matter during a meeting with the three defence advisers in the Indian High Commission earlier this month, the sources said. agencies

'No action against Lashkar without proof'- Hindustan Times

 

[Pintu]

http://ptinews.com/news/192676_Court-allows-FBI-officials-to-depose-in-26-11-case

Court allows FBI officials to depose in 26/11 case

STAFF WRITER 19:21 HRS IST

Mumbai, July 24 (PTI) A special court Friday allowed examination of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials in the 26/11 terror attacks trial, but, ordered that their names and addresses be kept secret as there was a threat to their lives.

"I am satisfied that their identities should be kept secret as they fear danger to their lives," Judge M L Tahaliyani said and prohibited media from publishing their names and addresses.

Contravention of this order would attract three years jail sentence and fine, the judge ruled.

Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam informed the court that he would provide by July 29 a schedule to examine FBI personnel who will appear as witnesses.

Nikam said FBI has collected clinching evidence which prosecution wanted to rely upon.

 

[RPK]

No proof against Hafiz Saeed in 26/11 attacks: Malik

Pakistan has said it cannot arrest outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, linked by India to the Mumbai terror attacks, since there is no proof of his involvement in the 26/11 assault.

Saeed will not be arrested merely on the basis of statements linking him to the attacks and the Indian government has been asked to provide proof of his involvement in any misdeeds, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said.

"We do not have any proof against Hafiz Saeed," Malik told Geo News channel in an interview.

"We have demanded and we are demanding from India that if you have proof, give (it to) us, but do not do propaganda. I assure we will take action. But just on hearsay we cannot arrest our citizen," he said. "If New Delhi wants some credible action, it needs to provide substantiated evidence," he added.

Malik said Pakistan had also sought information from India about Indian citizens who were allegedly involved in the Mumbai attacks. He claimed Indians were equally involved in the incident.

He said India would have to provide information on how the attackers travelled to Mumbai by boat without being detected and who refuelled their boat at sea.

Saeed was placed under house arrest in December last year after the UN Security Council declared the JuD a front for the banned Lashker-e-Toiba. Saeed was freed from detention on the orders of the Lahore High Court on 2 June.

The federal and Punjab governments challenged his release in the Supreme Court earlier this month. However, the Punjab provincial government has said it could withdraw from the appeal as the federal government had not provided sufficient evidence against Saeed.

Five LeT operatives, including operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, arrested by Pakistani security agencies are currently facing trial in an anti-terror court for alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks.

Referring to the inclusion of Pakistan's concerns about alleged Indian interference in Balochistan in the joint declaration issued after the recent meeting between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, Malik said evidence in this regard will be disclosed at international forums at the appropriate time.

 

[F-14]

dogs will be dogs now we can change that can we

 

[RPK]

Stop asking questions; prosecute Saeed: PC to Pak


New Delhi: Taking on Pakistan for its apparent reluctance to act against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed citing lack of evidence, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said that enough proof has been provided and it’s time that Pakistan starts to act against the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks.

Criticising Islamabad for inaction, Chidambaram said, “They should stop asking questions and get on with the job. There is enough evidence provided in the dossier given to Pakistan.”

"It has been a little tiresome," he said while referring to Pakistan's repeated claim that it does not have proof to prosecute Saeed.

Yesterday, Pak Interior Minister Rehman Malik had said, “We cannot arrest him (JuD chief Hafiz Saeed) till adequate proof is provided. There is no proof."

Incidentally, news reports are claiming today that Pakistani investigation agencies have, for the very first time, revealed that they have adequate proof of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) being directly involved in the 26/11 terror attack.

“The investigation has established beyond any reasonable doubt that the defunct LeT activists conspired, abetted, planned, financed and established communication network to carry out terror attacks in Mumbai,” the report states.

The report discloses that training sessions for the attackers was codenamed ‘Azizabad’ (Azizabad is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulberg Town in Karachi). The investigators seized militant literature, inflatable lifeboats, detailed maps of the Indian coastline, handwritten literature on navigational training and an intelligence course manual.

Pak has been continuously flip-flopping over the issue of Saaed. First he was put under house arrest, after the UN named him in its terror list, then all of sudden he was let off for want of ‘solid evidence” justifying his continued house arrest.

Earlier this month, Pakistan had handed over a dossier to India admitting its nationals were involved in the attacks. The dossier came days before the July 16 Gilani-Manmohan Singh meeting on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Summit at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Shaikh.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after meeting his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Egypt had said that Gilani has informed him that "common consensus" was being evolved and that "action will have to be taken against him (Saeed)".

Saeed is the founder of the Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) terror group that New Delhi accuses of also staging the Dec 13, 2001 attack on the Indian parliament. The LeT had morphed into the JuD after it was banned in the aftermath of the attack.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive during the Mumbai mayhem, has admitted to being a Pakistani national and to being trained by the LeT for the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.

Pakistan has charged five men, including LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi with involvement in the Mumbai mayhem.

 

[Sridhar]

July 29, 2009
Pak provides fresh proof of LeT role in 26/11

Pakistan investigation agencies have, for the very first time, revealed that they have adequate proof that the banned Lashkar-e-Tayiba [ Images ] is directly involved in the terror attack on Mumbai [ Images ] last year. A Federal Investigation Agency report handed over to India says the material recovered from LeT camps in Karachi and Thatta indicate that the terrorists received training and weapons.
"The investigation has established beyond any reasonable doubt that the defunct LeT activists conspired, abetted, planned, financed and established communication network to carry out terror attacks in Mumbai," the report states.
Officials said they have also recovered handwritten diaries, training manuals, Indian maps and operational instructions from Lashkar camps.
"The accused were running training camps for terrorists, providing sea and navigational training, conducting intelligence courses and directions for terrorist attack," the report said.
It discloses that training sessions for the attackers was codenamed 'Azizabad' (Azizabad is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulberg Town in Karachi). The investigators seized militant literature, inflatable lifeboats, detailed maps of the Indian coastline, handwritten literature on navigational training and an intelligence course manual.

Pak provides fresh proof of LeT role in 26/11: Rediff.com news

 

[I-G]

26/11 blasts: Fahim nailed for making maps
Updated on Friday, July 31, 2009, 18:24 IST

Mumbai: A hand writing expert on Friday opined in a special court that markings shown on a map of 26/11 terror target spots recovered from slain terrorist Abu Ismail matched with specimen writings of accused Fahim Ansari, who is being tried along with Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab.


According to special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Fahim had allegedly drawn a map of target spots in Mumbai and handed them over to banned terror organisation Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) which executed the terror attacks.

Among other places, the map mentioned CST, Marine drive, Chowpatty, Malabar Hill and Raj Bhavan.

The names of these places were written by hand and matched with specimen of Fahim's writing, handwriting expert, Jayant Ahir, who has examined over two lakh documents so far in his career, told prosecutor Nikam.

The prosecution had collected 108 samples of Fahim's writing and matched them with 12 markings in the map purportedly drawn by Fahim.

Ahir had first given opinion on March 20 this year about Fahim's hand writing matching with the markings on the map. Today, he deposed in the court reconfirming his findings.

The maps and specimen writings were shown to Fahim in the court but he did not react saying his lawyer would cross examine the witness later.

Bureau Report


26/11 blasts: Fahim nailed for making maps

 

[Pintu]

http://ptinews.com/news/207218_India-gives-more-proof--expects-meaningful-response-from-Pak

Ind gives more proof to Pak, expects response

STAFF WRITER 19:41 HRS IST

New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) India today handed over to Pakistan a fresh dossier of evidence on Mumbai attacks and pressed it to prosecute the prime accused and Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, saying there was "enough" proof to do so.

The dossier, comprising a seven-page summary and 60 pages of annexures, contains replies to queries posed by Pakistan with regard to investigation and legal process involved in the 26/11 attacks which were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, the front outfit of Jamaat-ud Dawa.

The dossier was handed over by T C A Raghavan, Joint Secretary (Pakistan) in the External Affairs Ministry, to Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner Rifat Masood when she was called to the MEA, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said.

 

[F-14]

THIS IS GETTING FUCKING RIDICULOUS

( sorry for screaming my friends i just cant take it any more of this bullshit )

 

[Pintu]

Pakistan gets more proof to nail Saeed - India - NEWS - The Times of India

Pakistan gets more proof to nail Saeed
TNN 2 August 2009, 03:16am IST

NEW DELHI: India responded to the latest queries from Pakistan on Saturday over 26/11 by sending certified copies of Lashkar gunman Ajmal Kasab's confession and interrogation reports of LeT operatives Fahim Ansari and Sahabuddin Ahmed as part of a seven-page response. ( Watch )

The communication is said to have sufficient evidence -- as home minister P Chidambaram said this week -- for Pakistan to proceed against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. The JuD, the politico-religious outfit guiding LeT, can be charged for the Mumbai attacks if Pakistan really wants to.

Pakistan has delayed the trial against Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, men it has described as Lashkar's Mumbai masterminds, and four others until August 29 while a case against Saeed has been postponed to August 3.

India's fifth dossier was given to Pakistan deputy high commissioner, Riffat Masood, by MEA officials, after the information had been given by the home ministry.

Chidambaram pointed out that the queries had been routine and most could well have been answered by the previous information caches given to Pakistan.

In a statement, the MEA spokesperson said, "On the 11th of July 2009, Pakistan had provided to us a dossier providing an update on investigations in Pakistan into the terrorist attack on Mumbai. A request had been made in it for further evidence. A detailed dossier of evidence has been provided today to the Pakistan High Commission."

Chidambaram told the media there was "enough evidence" to continue investigation against Saeed. "Yesterday (Friday), the home ministry finalised the response to the latest set of questions sent by Pakistan in connection with the Mumbai attacks," he said.

The response runs into seven pages with an equal number of annexures. The answers are intended to help Pakistan firm up a legal case against the Mumbai accused.

Pakistan had asked for certified copies of Kasab's confession and expert testimonies on conversations between terrorists and their handlers. India has also handed over the interrogation reports of Fahim Ansari and Sahabuddin Ahmed, two LeT operatives who helped provide support for the Mumbai attacks, and who are currently in Indian custody.

Some of the material, like the seizure memos of the GPS instruments and the Yamaha engine needed to be translated into English because they were in Marathi. Pakistan had asked for expert testimony of the people who had conducted forensic examinations of the GPS device.

Sources said the answers supplied on Saturday would help in tightening the case against Hafiz Saeed. Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik has said Saeed could not be prosecuted because India had not provided sufficient evidence.

Indian officials are resigned to the fact that Pakistan will probably send in more questions to be answered in the future. This is as much a delaying tactic as it is to keep the onus of the case on India, rather than Pakistan.

 

[Pintu]

India addresses queries raised by Pak on 26/11- Dateline India-The Sunday ET-Features-The Economic Times

India addresses queries raised by Pak on 26/11
2 Aug 2009, 0532 hrs IST, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday handed over a fresh set of papers to Pakistan containing its response to the seven queries raised by the latter in the 34-page dossier on the 26/11 probe submitted to the Indian agencies last month.

The answers, however, only reiterate the points already included in the dossiers sent earlier by New Delhi, besides clarifying some of the relevant sections of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).“Yesterday, MHA finalised the response to the latest set of questions sent by the government of Pakistan in connection with the investigations in Pakistan on the terror attack...A seven-page response with annexures has been handed over to the ministry of external affairs for transmission to the government of Pakistan,” Union home minister P Chidambaram told newspersons here. The MEA on Saturday afternoon handed over the dossier to the Pakistan High Commissioner for “transmission to Pakistan.”

According to Mr Chidambaram, the response dossier compiled by the MHA provides answers to some “routine questions” raised by the Pakistani agencies, besides “filling in the blanks.” “The new dossier has information most of which is already there in the earlier dossiers (submitted so far by India) and contains answers to questions which can already be found in the Criminal Procedure Code,” disclosed the home minister, without going into the specifics of the replies given.

Pakistan, in its 34-page dossier submitted to India ahead of the NAM summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh, is reported to have sought Kasab’s confessional statement before the magistrate under Section 161 of the CrPC, besides asking for expert testimony of the forensic experts who examined the GPS device used by the attackers as well as expert testimony to establish that the attackers were in touch with their handlers in Pakistan.

India is said to have clarified that Kasab’s confessional statement cannot be furnished for the simple reason that there is no provision under Section 161 of CrPC of recording the statement of an arrested accused before the magistrate.

 

[I-G]

Lashkar-e-Taiba behind Mumbai attacks, says U.K. report

LONDON: Holding the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) responsible for the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, a British parliamentary committee on Sunday said several major terror attacks across the world, including those in London, Madrid, and Bali, had their origins in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

A report by the Foreign Affairs Committee quoted a former CIA chief as saying the Pakistan-based LeT, blamed by India for attacks on its soil including those on Mumbai, had reached a “merge point” with the Al-Qaeda.

“It was from the tribal areas in Pakistan that the bomb plots in London, Madrid, Bali, Islamabad, and later Germany and Denmark were planned,” said the report on ‘Global Security: Afghanistan and Pakistan,’ headed by lawmaker Mike Gapes.

The report said: “The LeT group, which was responsible for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that targeted Westerners, in particular U.S. and U.K, nationals, also operates from these tribal areas.

It added that a section within the Pakistani Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) still feels that “India, rather than the Islamic terrorists,” was the main threat to it.

“We welcome the increasing recognition at senior levels within the Pakistani military of the need for a recalibrated approach to militancy, but we remain concerned that this may not necessarily be replicated elsewhere within the Army and the ISI,” the report said.

It welcomed Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s remark that terrorism, not India, was the real threat to his country. However, the report raised doubts over “whether the underlying fundamentals of Pakistani security policy have changed sufficiently to realise the goals of long-term security and stability in Afghanistan.” — PTI

The Hindu : National : Lashkar-e-Taiba behind Mumbai attacks, says U.K. report

 

[johnee]

here is something directly from horse mouth. Below is the text version. You can listen to the video as well. Let me know if you think I am correct to assume that after punishment is announced for Kasab, the govt will let it go Afzal guru's way since according to it staying locked in prison on a death row is worse than being hanged.

Expect someone in the next attack for release of these guys.

Video link: http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/97830/bein ... anged.html

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/being-on-dea ... 30-37.html

CNN-IBN: Senior lawyer Harish Salve has told CNN-IBN that even if Kasab is sentenced, it would go the Afzal Guru way. Kasab may not be really hanged.

Chidambaram: That's a charge that's been made ad nauseum. Its been corrected several times. There are 28 cases of death row. Afzal Guru's no is 22. Let's first deal with the case. Remaining at a death row for several years is not a happy situation. In fact, prisoners on death row suffer more than prisoner who's hanged.

Kasab will be number 29. Many of us will die before he is actually hanged.

 

[Pintu]

http://ptinews.com/news/209077_Pak-SC-adjourns-Saeed-detention-hearing-indefinitely

Pak SC adjourns Saeed detention hearing indefinitely

STAFF WRITER 11:33 HRS IST

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Aug 3 (PTI) Pakistan's Supreme Court today adjourned indefinitely the hearing of petitions challenging the release from detention of banned JuD chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, accused by India of being the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks.

The apex court's direction comes two days after India said there was "enough evidence" to continue investigation against the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief in connection with the 26/11 attacks.

The hearing of two petitions filed by the Federal and Punjab governments had been adjourned indefinitely by the apex court, Saeed's counsel A K Dogar told reporters.

Sources said the move was apparently linked to the resignation yesterday of Punjab's Advocate General Raza Farooq, who was representing the provincial government in the hearings.

The provincial government sought time from the apex court to appoint a new Advocate General and asked for the hearing to be adjourned, sources said. .

 

[Pintu]

India sets bar higher for talks with Pak - India - NEWS - The Times of India

India sets bar higher for talks with Pak
TNN 3 August 2009, 02:03am IST

NEW DELHI: It may have happened almost inadvertently, considering India's decision to delink terror from composite dialogue with Pakistan, but by reiterating that enough evidence against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has been handed over to Islamabad, India has set the bar higher for resumption of dialogue with Pakistan.

Whether or not the Manmohan Singh government likes it, the fact is that Pakistan's commitment to dismantle India-specific terror infrastructure will be measured in terms of what action it takes against the 26/11 accused, including Saeed who is identified as one of the three main conspirators along with LeT commanders Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah.

With India insisting that there is enough evidence to prosecute Saeed and Islamabad conveniently looking the other way, it will be practically impossible for New Delhi to initiate dialogue with Pakistan at any level, unless of course it wants to lend credence to its detractors' contention that it is being sissy-footed on terror.

Of the three main accused, Lakhvi and Shah have been arrested but Pakistan continues to delay their trial which, in any case, will lead to nothing if the charges against them are not pressed forcefully in court. Saeed has been set free by the Lahore High Court, but it is he who, according to senior security officials, is the "biggest fish'' of them all. Saeed is a named accused in Mumbai and was involved in inspiring and training those who executed the attacks.

"There can't be any serious engagement with Pakistan if Saeed is allowed to go unpunished. For India, he has even more symbolic significance than Lakhvi and Shah because of his vituperative utterances in the past against us over the situation in J&K which have resulted in youths taking up arms against India,'' said a senior official.

In fact, it is now becoming increasingly clear that it is Saeed's future which will decide whether or not Pakistan led India up the garden path in Sharm el-Sheikh. While Singh emphasised "trust, but verify'', Congress president Sonia Gandhi, going by her speech on Friday, seemed to suggest verification first and thinking of trust later.

As BJP's Arun Jaitley has repeatedly pointed out, Sonia has so far not categorically stated that she or the party supports the Sharm el-Sheikh joint statement. Even the most ardent of Singh's supporters are finding it difficult to endorse the "badly drafted'' joint statement and it's clear that the document will be first put to test in the case of Saeed.

Even a cursory look at developments in the recent past is enough to explain why many don't share Singh's perception which led to the joint statement. Despite stating in Supreme Court that there was confidential evidence against Saeed, the Punjab government did a turnaround the next day and withdrew its appeal against his release. When TOI contacted Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, he said the appeal had to be withdrawn because the federal government did not share that evidence with the Punjab government. When this issue was brought up in Egypt by the Indian side, the Pakistanis said they were still looking at challenging the verdict on Saeed but so far they have done nothing.

According to intelligence and security officials, whose stand is clearly at variance with the foreign ministry, Saeed is of immense strategic significance for Pakistan considering how he has tried to keep his promise of inflicting a thousand cuts on India and is looked upon as a force multiplier against a `hostile' India. In this way, he is more important for Pakistan than Lakhvi and Shah. Come to think of it, even these two are breathing easy as Pakistan has postponed their trial to August 29. There are already reports that Pakistan is reluctant to prove their links with Mumbai attack foot soldiers in court.

Pakistan admitted to the role of LeT in Mumbai attacks, a fact which was played up by the government to explain its stand in Egypt, but equally important is the fact that most of its cadres in the past few months have joined a charity group named Falah-e-Insaniyat which is active in Swat and are carrying out their activities as usual. This has been widely reported in the international media, but Islamabad has turned a blind eye to it saying there is no evidence to prove this.

 

[I-G]

Pakistan starts Interpol search for Mumbai suspects
Thu Aug 6, 2009 4:44am EDT


PARIS (Reuters) - Pakistan has launched a global search for 13 suspects in last November's attack on Mumbai, the international police network Interpol said Thursday.

France-based Interpol said a global alert issued from Islamabad asked member countries to assist in locating the fugitives and immediately report any leads to Pakistan, which would seek their extradition if any are arrested.

The Interpol statement did not name the suspects.

"The authorities in Pakistan are to be commended for making full use of Interpol's global network and tools," said Ronald Noble, secretary-general of Interpol, in the statement.

"This demonstrates their commitment to allowing all of Interpol's 187 member countries to benefit from and help with the investigation into the Mumbai terrorist attacks."

Pakistan has put on trial five militants accused of involvement in the attack in which 166 people were killed and released photographs of 13 other suspects who have not yet been detained.

But India, which broke off peace talks with Pakistan following the attacks blamed on the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, has complained that Islamabad is not moving fast enough in pursuing those responsible.

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Myra MacDonald)

Pakistan starts Interpol search for Mumbai suspects | International | Reuters

 

[RPK]

Pak arrests 26/11 facilitator linked to LeT


Islamabad: In a "major breakthrough" in its probe into the Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistan has arrested a key suspect with links to the outlawed LeT for allegedly facilitating the 26/11 strikes.

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which is spearheading Pakistan’s probe into the Mumbai incident, arrested Jamil Ahmed yesterday on the basis of information provided by other suspects.

Sources in the FIA described Ahmed, a resident of Battagram in the unruly North West Frontier Province, as an "important suspect allegedly linked with" the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), the Daily Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

Ahmed was arrested following the interrogation of five LeT operatives – operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abu Al-Qama, Zarar Shah, Shahid Jamil Riaz and Hamad Amin Sadiq – arrested earlier by the FIA. These five men are being tried by an anti-terror court in connection with the Mumbai attacks.


"The suspects revealed the name of another suspect, Jamil Ahmed, of Battagram during interrogation. Ahmed also allegedly facilitated the acts of terrorism in Mumbai on November 26," a source was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Sources said SIU personnel arrested Ahmed near his house. He is being interrogated.

The sources termed Ahmed’s arrest as a "major breakthrough" in their investigation as it could lead the SIU to other suspects.

Pakistani authorities are also looking for 13 other suspects for facilitating the Mumbai attacks. Most of these men are crew members of the two boats used by the 10 terrorists who attacked the Indian financial hub.

 

[RPK]

Interpol issues global alert for 13 Mumbai suspects- Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times

LONDON: Interpol on Thursday issued a global alert for 13 suspects wanted for the audacious 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that claimed nearly 183
lives.

The alert was issued on written request by Islamabad, which said the 13 suspects were wanted by police authorities in Pakistan in connection with ongoing investigation into the Mumbai terror attacks, a statement released by the international police agency said.

Though the statement did not identify the suspects, but it said the global alert contains the names of the fugitives and their other data which has been sent to 186 member countries.

The alert asks Interpol member countries to assist in locating the fugitives and immediately notify National Central Bureau (NCB) at Islamabad or Interpol's General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon in France with any investigative leads.

After they are located, the Pakistani authorities will issue arrest warrants and seek their extradition, the statement said, indicating that most of the suspects for whom the lookout notice had been issued were apparently not in Pakistan.

Elaborating on the alert, Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K Noble said, "the investigation into the Mumbai terror attacks highlighted the vital role played by the world police body's international organs in supporting its member countries against terrorism by circulating information worldwide to ensure the location and eventual arrest of suspected terrorists."

 

[Daredevil]

Enough evidence given on Saeed, says India

New Delhi (PTI): India on Thursday rubbished Pakistan's contention that it was not provided sufficient evidence about involvement of Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in Mumbai attacks even as it is seeking details about Islamabad's claim about banning outfits like JuD and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

India sees the Pakistani claim about lack of evidence against Saeed as an attempt by Islamabad to build a "firewall" around the Jamaat-ud Dawa chief who is said to have proximity with the establishment, particularly the ISI.

Sources here said Pakistan has been given "comprehensive" and "detailed" information contained in five dossiers of evidence to pursue prosecution.

The material given to Pakistan includes "legal evidence" and "information about investigation", they said.

To drive home the point, the sources referred to the statement by Home Minister P. Chidambaram last week that Pakistan had been given "enough" evidence to prosecute Saeed.

All questions raised by Pakistan have been responded to in detail, they said.

On the ban which Pakistan claimed to have placed on terror outfits like JuD and JeM, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said details had been sought from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. She refused to speak further on the issue.

 

[RPK]

The Hindu : International : Pakistan: India has not given enough material against Saeed

Nirupama Subramanian







ISLAMABAD: Pakistan appears to have taken the firm position that India has the responsibility of providing it with the evidence to enable it to take action against Hafiz Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba which is blamed for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

India has sought action against Mr. Saeed as part of its larger demand that Pakistan must move to dismantle the “terrorist infrastructure” on its soil.

But Pakistan is increasingly tying action against him to evidence directly implicating him in the planning and facilitation of the Mumbai attacks.

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said on Thursday that New Delhi’s replies to Pakistan’s latest questions were “not really enough” to proceed legally against the Jamat-ud-Dawa leader.

However, the questions that Pakistan asked did not specifically relate to Mr. Saeed but to the nitty-gritty of the Mumbai investigation.

In a dossier to New Delhi days before the Sharm-al-Shaikh meeting of the two prime ministers, Pakistan detailed the steps it had taken to bring the Pakistani perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to book, including registering cases against Lashkar-e-Taiba members.

Additionally, it sought certified statements from officials involved in various aspects of the investigation, plus the interrogation statements of two Indians accused in the attacks, Sabhauddin and Fahim Ansari.

This is what India gave Pakistan last week. But first in India and later in Pakistan, these replies to specific information requests from Pakistan got confused, thanks to the media in both countries, with the Hafiz Saeed case.

As a result, the message that went down from the latest round of dossier diplomacy is that India wants Pakistan to act against the JuD leader on the basis of the information provided last week.

At the weekly Foreign Office briefing, Mr. Basit said in response to a question that in the Hafeez Saeed case, Pakistan was proceeding in accordance with its own laws.

“But the material [contained in the dossier handed over by India last week] apropos Hafiz Saeed is not really enough and it does not strengthen our hands to proceed legally against him,” Mr. Basit said.

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Parliament that the JuD was among the 25 groups proscribed in Pakistan. But it appears the group has not been formally banned under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law; it has been barred from functioning as a charity organisation.

Last week, the Supreme Court adjourned the case against Mr. Saeed indefinitely, and though petitions, one each from the Punjab provincial government and the federal government against Mr. Saeed are pending before the court, it is not known if or when these will be taken up again.

But the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Pakistan had registered cases against five suspects and “we will make sure — on that count we are moving forward.”

The proceedings against the five are in the pre-trial stages in an anti-terrorism court. Charges are yet to be formally framed against them.

Another suspect held


Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Authority is reported to have arrested one more suspect on Tuesday. According to Daily Times, the FIA’s Special Investigations Unit arrested Jamil Ahmed of Battagram in the North-West Frontier Province.

His name is said to have come up during interrogation of the other five suspects, who include the Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and a communication expert of the group, Zarar Shah.

In addition, the FIA is looking for 13 proclaimed offenders in the case.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the two sides were working out dates for a meeting between the Foreign Secretaries as agreed upon at Sharm-al-Shaikh. The Foreign Secretaries would then report to the Foreign Ministers, who are expected to meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September.

“We hope there will be a movement towards a sustained dialogue, towards resuming the composite dialogue,” the spokesperson said.

There was a recognition even in India that the Kashmir issue had to be resolved for lasting peace in the region, and this could be done only through dialogue and engagement, he said. Co-operation between the countries could only come after bilateral disputes were resolved, he added.