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Today's Paper | May 04, 2024

Published 07 Jan, 2009 12:00am

Contents of the Mumbai dossier

An intelligence dossier - which compiles and collates the details of the tragic Mumbai attacks of November 26 and 27, 2008 - was handed over to Pakistani diplomats by the Indian authorities two days ago. The comprehensive collection of evidence further heightens pressure on the Pakistani government to take action on what India calls `Pakistan-based militants` who it suspects of masterminding the attack.

To see the entire dossier on the website of the Hindu newspaper, click here

The contents of the dossier include a detailed account of the identities and origins of the 10 men who were involved in the attack. It also recounts the manner in which they infiltrated the Indian financial capital of Mumbai. The investigation focused mostly on interrogation of the sole surviving gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab and communication data from the cell-phone of Ismail Khan, the alleged leader of the group. 

According to the investigation, a group of 32 men were initially trained for the grueling operation out of which ultimately 10 were chosen. Six others were dispatched to Kashmir and the whereabouts of the remaining trainees are unknown. The training took place in Muridke, Manshera and Muzaffarabad. 

The dossier also reveals an astonishing level of communication and coordination between the attackers and their handlers. `Inflict the maximum damage. Keep fighting. Don`t be taken alive,` one handler is said to have told his charge. `If the hostages are killed, it will spoil relations between India and Israel,` another transcript reads.

The dossier also names several senior Lashkar-i-Taiba operatives suspected of masterminding the attack such as Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Abu Al Qama. Evidence linking them to the attack is also included, such as cellular phone records registered in their name which were linked to communications with the attackers.

Finally, the dossier also contained photographs of materials recovered from the fishing trawler which the gunmen used to infiltrate Indian waters. The materials included such items as soda bottles packaged in Pakistan, and Pakistani-manufactured items such as detergent and match-boxes.

No official Pakistani response has yet addressed the evidence submitted by the Indians.

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