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Pakistan not satisfied with Indian response
By Our Staff Reporter
Wednesday, 18 Mar, 2009
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ISLAMABAD, March 17: Pakistan is not satisfied with the information and answers to its questions provided by India about the Mumbai attacks, including DNA test reports of the lone-surviving attacker, Ajmal Kasab, and other seven terrorists.

“We have gone through the 400-page document provided by India, but it does not meet our requirements,” a senior official of the interior ministry who did not want to be named told Dawn.

However, Pakistani authorities investigating the attacks decided to include the information in the case being tried against alleged perpetrators, including commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi who has been arrested in Pakistan.

India had on March 13 provided the information in response to Pakistan’s dossier containing 30+2 questions seeking findings of the investigation conducted by the Indian authorities, photos and identification of the attackers and other evidences to be presented before the Pakistani court.

Ten alleged terrorists had carried out a series of attacks and bomb blasts in Mumbai on Nov 26 and killed about 170 people. Nine of the terrorists were killed and Ajmal Kasab was arrested.

India blamed Pakistan for involvement in the attacks. Pakistan rejected the charge and said the crime had been committed by non-state actors.

The interior ministry official said India had not replied to two additional questions, including the eyewitness account of Jugdev, the only survivor boarding the vehicle of Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare and two senior police officers, Mr Salasker and Mr Kamte.

Pakistani authorities were of the opinion that Mr Karkare was investigating cases against militants, including Lt-Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, allegedly involved in mass killings of Indian Muslims and the Samjhota Express bombing.

The second question related to information about a link between a Gujarat diamond merchant, the alleged sponsor of Malegoen blasts, along with Col Purohit, and some Hindus in Pakistan.

Some of the information obtained by Dawn showed that India had provided DNA test reports of Ajmal Kasab and seven others killed by Indian security forces. They are: Ismail, Babar, Nasir, Shoaib, Hafiz, Javed and Abdur Rehman. However, the document does not carry the DNA report of two other attackers, Abu Umar and Abdur Rehman. The Indian authorities claimed that their bodies had been badly smashed in the operation.

The document provides some information about internet voice massaging carried out by the alleged terrorists.

According to the Indian media, Kasab had revealed during interrogation his national identity card number. But it was not shared with the Pakistani authorities. A request for an authenticated copy of the confessional statement of Kasab recorded by Indian judicial authorities was also not met.

Meanwhile, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik discussed with officials of the Federal Investigation Agency the 400-page information provided by India. Interior Secretary Kamal Shah and FIA Director General Tariq Khosa also attended the meeting.

The document was handed over to the FIA for further examination and necessary legal action. The meeting decided that further response to Indian authorities would be conveyed through diplomatic channels.
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