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Posts tagged Mumbai 26/11
Lahore High Court: No reprieve to Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
Dec 4th
Lahore High Court on Thursday rejected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s two petitions. Lakhvi who has been alleged the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
While rejecting his two petitions, the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court directed the Anti-Terrorism Court to consider Lakhvi’s objections against his indictment under provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Lakhvi’s lawyer Sultan Ahmed claimed that the prosecution did not have any incriminating evidence against him. He also said the statement given to the Indian authorities by Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist, was not admissible in the Anti-Terrorism Court.
The next hearing of the case will be in the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala jail on Saturday.
NSG commandos offered 26/11 terrorists, a chance to surrender
Nov 27th
The National Security Guard (NSG) commandos handling the Taj and the Trident Hotels had told the terrorists that they would get a fair trial, but, “the terrorists refused and replied with bullets.”
The terrorists were cornered at Taj and Oberoi hotel. J K Dutt, who was the chief of the National Security Guard, during 26/11, communicated with the terrorist directly through the hall voices resound and made an offer to surrender but the terrorists refused their offer . The terrorists replied with a string of abuses in Punjabi and other than that, there was shooting and hurling of grenades.
Pakistan court has filed charges against the accused behind the Mumbai attacks.
Nov 26th
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has finally declared Lashkar-e-Taiyba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi,as the mastermind behind the Mumbai attack a day before its 26/11 anniversary.And the court formally charged seven men suspects, including Lakhvi, with planning and helping execute the Mumbai attacks.
The court also declared 16 people, as proclaimed offenders including the only surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab. He was captured alive during the 26/11 strikes. And now he in Mumbai jail .The crew members of the two boats that ferried the 10 attackers to Mumbai are among them, sources said.
Anti-terrorism court Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan, who is conducting the trial at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for security reasons, framed the chargesheet against Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum.
Pakistan court was registered case against seven accused in February, but trial has moved slowly. Its last protest was voiced last week after India’s repeated frustration over the non seriousness of Pakistan in bringing to book the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks.
The court also rejected the bail pleas of some of the accused. Their lawyers Shahbaz Rajput said all seven pleaded not guilty and alsi said that the charge taken against the accused were without any powerful evidence.
26/11 Taj Mumbai humiliates guarding jawans
Nov 20th
Maharashtra government and Taj hotel forced the jawans to spend night in the pavement. SRPF jawans guarding the Taj hotel were meted out shoddy treatment.
Jawans and their belongings were thrown out into the streets yesterday. No one from Taj authorities and Maharashtra government was available for comment when approached.
Mumbai marathon: Kenya’s Mugara wins
Jan 18th
Mumbai: Mumbai came as one for its first huge public event post 26/11 – the Mumbai marathon. About 35,000 people ran for peace and were cheered on by nearly two lakh people.
Kenneth Mugara of Kenya won the men’s title.
There were five main events and the entire prize money amounts to $250,000.
The oldest participant of the marathon was 77 years old and the youngest one was just 12.
Many celebrities from the Indian film society like Gulshan Grover, Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan and Tushaar Kapoor, also participated in the marathon.
Apart from these, there were philanthropists and social workers like Tina Ambani in the event.
Pakistani PM: Condition on Indian border weak
Jan 10th
Islamabad: Yousaf Raza Gilani Pakistani Prime Minister said on Friday the condition was “fragile” on the border with India, and regretted the deferral of peace meeting following the militant attacks in Mumbai in November.
Gilani’s comments came a day later than the Government confirmed that the single surviving gunman from the attack that killed 179 people in India’s monetary capital was a Pakistani.
The Prime Minister sacked his national defense consultant on Thursday for disclosing this before consulting him.
“The situation on our eastern border has once again become very fragile,” Gilani told a discussion group in Islamabad.
While tensions have run high among the nuclear-armed neighbors, there has been no symbol of a troop build-up by any side, and analysts say probability of India resorting to military act have receded.
Pakistani officials have warned that if there was any threat of a argument with India it would switch military from the western border with Afghanistan, where they are fighting pro-Taliban and al Qaeda militants.
Any such act would weaken inward US president Barack Obama’s preparation to nearly double the number of US troops in Afghanistan as part of a rush plan to suppress the Taliban mutiny.
Dell Dailey, the State Department’s counter terrorism coordinator, told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that the United States had not seen any stir of Pakistanis forces from western border regions to the east “in any degree that’s measurable”.
He said Pakistan stimulated troops to the eastern border in 2002, when it went to the point of a fourth battle with India.
“We do not want that to happen again and we’ll do as much as we can to prevent it,” Dailey said.
Yousuf Raza Gilani: Pak will act if India’s proof is convincing
Jan 6th
Islamabad / New Delhi: Gilani on Monday said that they are reviewing a report that India had handed over to it’s Commissioner in New Delhi about the Mumbai attacks in November.
Prime Minister said that his government remains committed to action against the nationals accused of being connected to the Mumbai attacks if ‘credible’ proof is available against them.
He said this during the meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Richard Boucher, who reached here on Monday to calm down the tensions between Pakistan and India.
Prime Minister Gilani spoke of ‘Pakistan’s persistent efforts to defuse current tensions with India, and the government’s commitment to take action against any Pakistani national in case credible evidence is provided,’ The News quoted his office, as saying.
Pakistan has over and over again said that its own inquiry of the attacks could move forward once India shared proofs with Islamabad. In Islamabad, a foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik, had received the file in New Delhi on Monday and had sent it to authorities back home.
“The material has been received in Pakistan now and is being examined by concerned authorities,” the spokesman said. “It is our duty, my duty to examine the dossier carefully, understand it and be truthful to myself, to my country and the neighbourhood,” a news agency quoted Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, as saying.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in an interview to media persons in New Delhi, said: “We have today handed over to Pakistan evidence of the links with elements in Pakistan of the terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008.”
“We are also briefing all our friendly countries. I have written to my counterparts around the world giving them details of the events in Mumbai and describing in some detail the progress that we have made in our investigations and the evidence that we have collected,” he added.
Minister Pranab Mukherjee added, “The Ministry will also be briefing all resident Heads of Missions here in the next 24 hours. Our Ambassadors will be doing the same in their respective countries of accreditation.”
The evidence includes:-
1.Matter from the interrogation of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the Pakistani national who is in police custody for his role in the terror attack, details of the terrorists”
2. Communication links with elements in Pakistan during the Mumbai attacks, recovered weapons and equipment and other articles
3. and data retrieved from recovered GPS and satellite phones.
“This material is linked to elements in Pakistan. It is our expectation that the Government of Pakistan will promptly undertake further investigations in Pakistan and share the results with us so as to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
He added, “We would also hope that Pakistan will implement her bilateral, multilateral and international obligations to prevent terrorism in any manner from territory under her control.”
US Ambassador to India, David C Mulford, on Monday said that a team of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is still in Mumbai pursuing leads into the conspiracy that led to the November 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai, and expressed Washington’s determination to get to the bottom of the conspiracy.
He further went on to say: “Under our American laws, if Americans are killed anywhere, the state itself has a duty to pursue, to get to the bottom of it. This the FBI is doing and will do in the coming weeks and months.”
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik said: “We will not take pressure from anyone. We are a sovereign state, and we will act according to our law. Nobody can put pressure on us.”
