The Asian Age – Hafiz was never held in 26/11 case

Namrata Biji Ahuja, Asian Age Correspondent

Delhi, 18 December 2012. Pakistan’s lie on Lashkar-e-Tayyaba patron and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed stands exposed as documents provided by Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik to the Union home ministry clearly show Islamabad never detained or arrested Saeed in the 26/11 terror attack case.

During his just-concluded India visit, Mr Malik had turned down New Delhi’s request for action against Saeed, arguing there was lack of “credible evidence” against the 26/11 mastermind who had repeatedly been acquitted by the Pakistani courts. The fact that none of the three cases referred to by Mr Malik involved Saeed’s role in 26/11 has widened a trust deficit between the two nations on whether Islamabad is deliberately brushing aside New Delhi’s concerns under pressure from the ISI, top security officials said.

“For us, Saeed’s involvement in 26/11 can expose the Laskhar-ISI nexus. Saeed’s quitting LeT in 2001, months before Pakistan imposed a ban on it, indicates there was a move to give him safe passage,” the officials remarked.

Nailing Pakistan’s lie, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday told Parliament that Mr Malik appeared to have been “misinformed in the matter of Hafiz Saeed”. “We had been given to understand by the interior minister of Pakistan that Mr Hafiz Saeed had been arrested on charges of being a part of the conspiracy for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks,” he said, adding, “From the papers given to us, it is clear that the detentions of Saeed in these cases were for other reasons and not for his role as a conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.” he said.

http://www.asianage.com/india/hafiz-was-never-held-2611-case-833

The Asian Age – ‘Pakistan generals plotted 26/11 with Hafiz Saeed’

Comment: I do not trust the statements by ‘Abu Jundal’ nor do I have much faith in any statements coming from Pakistani or Indian intelligence outfits. But I do not think that the present PPP government is plotting terror attacks, and I do know that civilian governments never had control over the Pakistani Army or the ISI. It is also quite possible that this is not the doing of the Pakistan Army’s high command. Individual officers working with ISI might be supporting Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. HSKh, Man in Blue

Rajnish Sharma, Asian Age Correspondent

Delhi, 19 July 2012. In yet another severe indictment of “state support” by Pakistan to spread terror in India, top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba operative Abu Jundal has disclosed that Lashkar founder and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed used to often meet top Pakistan Army corps commanders in that country to plan major terror strikes in India.

Jundal has also admitted that he had himself attended some of these meetings in Rawalpindi in the run-up to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Highly-placed government sources said India’s key intelligence agencies as well as the home ministry had information about Saeed’s meetings with top Pakistan Army commanders, and that Jundal’s disclosures had only reconfirmed it further.

In fact, Jundal claims that at one such meeting top Army officers categorically instructed Saeed that the Mumbai case should be a “fidayeen attack”, and that no one should be caught alive. The Army officers were fully aware, he added, that this could cause considerable embarrassment to Pakistan.

“After the Mumbai massacre we started getting information that Saeed met top Army corps commanders in Pakistan to finalise his terror strategy against India. Now Jundal has confirmed it further, and provided some more details about it,” a senior intelligence official said.

Earlier, Jundal had confirmed the presence of Pakistani Amy officials in the Karachi control room from where the Mumbai terror attack was being monitored. He has also revealed how the weapons and ammunition used in the 26/11 attack were provided by the Pakistan Army. Now top functionaries in New Delhi’s security and intelligence agencies claim there is hardly any doubt on “state support” and involvement in the Mumbai carnage.

Jundal, during his custodial interrogation, has also revealed the entire chain of command in the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, highlighting how the hierarchy works. He claims the top nine commanders are led by Hafiz Saeed, followed by Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Muzamil Bhatt, Rehan alias Junaid alias Wali, Abu Qahafa, Abu Al Qama, Abu Zarar, Abu Jundal and Major Samir.

It is also believed that Muzamil Bhat and Major Samir are even now playing a key role in planning Lashkar’s anti-India operations.

While Bhat is now LeT’s operational commander, Major Samir is the main link between various terrorist outfits and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.

http://www.asianage.com/india/pak-generals-plotted-2611-saeed-483