India has given Pak time till Dec 26: Stratfor report

New Delhi, Dec 24: India has given Pakistan time till December 26 for a crackdown on terror infrastructure, said a report of a leading publisher of geopolitical intelligence on Tuesday. The report from Stratfor says that after the November 26 Mumbai attacks, India relayed a message to Pakistan via the US that they would be given “30 days to carry out significant actions in cracking down on Islamist militant proxies operating on Pakistani soil that continue to threaten India”. Islamabad has been denying that the terrorists who attacked Mumbai killing at least 170 people were from Pakistan. “Pakistan's deadline, as far as we know, is December 26, making Indian military action against Pakistan a very real and near possibility. The Indians have had a month to prepare their military operations against Pakistan, and Indian defence sources have revealed that these plans are ready to go into effect,” the report said. “While India used the time to prepare its military forces, the US came down hard on Pakistan behind the scenes, making clear that Islamabad will have to deliver on India's demands or else Washington will not be able to stand in New Delhi's way if and when the time comes for India to act,” the report, based on intelligence reports, reads. The intelligence analysts observed that Pakistan has made a few arrests and raids targeting militant leaders and Pakistani intelligence operatives, but has done nothing that substantially reduced the militant threat to India from New Delhi's point of view. “And even if Pakistan was prepared to swallow the bitter pill of conceding to its main rival by cutting its militant ties, it can only go so far to placate India before it creates a domestic crisis in trying to avoid an international one,” Stratfor said. However, the report said, that it is still unclear how far India will take this military campaign and to what extent the US operations in Afghanistan will be affected. Discussions are taking place inside Indian defence circles over an escalatory military campaign, beginning with largely symbolic strikes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir against militant training camps and offices. Depending on Pakistan's ability to respond, pressure could then be ratcheted up with precision air strikes in Pakistan's urban areas - to include the capital - against intelligence facilities and militant leadership hideouts. The option of a naval blockade, which would cut off the US' main supply line into Afghanistan, has also been tossed around. While a blockade would put the already cash-strapped Pakistan in an economic choke, doing so would inevitably cause friction in India's relationship with Washington. The intelligence publisher reported that the US, knowing its “limitations” of the relationship with New Delhi, is already preparing for “a worst-case scenario”. “For the past month, the US military has been feverishly stockpiling supplies for its forces in Afghanistan in anticipation of a major interruption,” said the report. IANS

It is unlikely that India would have given Pakistan any deadline. Even if New Delhi’s patience runs out, war would not be an option. India might instead cut off diplomatic relations and put economic pressure on Pakistan. And go in for finishing off Pakistani elements in Kashmir.

Ajmal Kasab to confess live on TV

Report Zeenews Bureau New Delhi, Dec 24: Apparently looking to call off Pakistan’s bluff in front of the international community, investigators are now looking at the possibility of a worldwide live broadcast of Ajmal Kasab’s confession on his role in the Mumbai attacks and also reveal details about his antecedents.
What has precipitated thinking towards such a bold step, as claimed by leading English daily, is Pakistan’s continuous rejection of all concrete evidences provided by India about the complicity of Pak based groups in the recent terror attacks. Moreover, India has also revealed names of all the ten terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks. A high-level meeting was convened in New Delhi, yesterday, to look at the pros and cons of bringing Kasab live on TV and as per reports senior intelligence officials and home ministry officials are positively inclined towards the bold gambit. However, the final decision lies with the Centre and reports claim that it will announce the date –when Kasab will be live on TV- shortly. The development comes even as Kasab’s remand ends today and is due to be produced in court. Incidentally, he still has no lawyer as many of those who came forward to defend later though otherwise owing to the angry reactions from rightwing organisations. This would be first such move of its kind by any country in which the live confession of a terrorist will be broadcast live across the world. To make the confession comprehensible, Kasab’s confession will also have English subtitles. The move reflects Indian government’s frustration about the defiant attitude of Pakistan, even as India faced the worst ever terror strike. Moreover, the move also aims to further corner the Yousuf Raja Gilani government and prove before the international community that Pakistan has repeatedly failed to live up to its commitments against terrorism. Indian authorities have been providing substantial evidence about the nationality of those who attacked Mumbai and their masterminds but Pakistan has been categorically rejecting to acknowledge the fact that all those involved in the incident were actually its citizens, who were especially trained for the purpose by militant organisations operating from its soil.

Ace terrorist on live TV? Its risky. The fellow may, using the opportunity, turn tables on India by saying something unexpected. Instead, he should be interviewed by leading international reporters in camera, to be broadcast later if the chap was truthful.

Taliban to support Pakistan in case of war with India Islamabad,

Dec 23: Hunted by the US and NATO forces for committing acts of terror in Afghanistan, the Taliban Tuesday said they would back the Pakistan Army by deploying hundreds of suicide bombers in case of any military action with India. Claiming that "thousands of our well-armed militants are ready to fight alongside the army if any war is imposed on Pakistan," chief of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Baitullah Mehsud, told The News daily by phone from an undisclosed location. Hundreds of would-be bombers had been "given suicide jackets and explosive-laden vehicles for protection of the border in case of any aggression by the Indian forces", he said. "The time had come, to wage a real jihad that the Taliban had been waiting for," Mehsud, for whom the Pakistani and US forces are on the look out claimed. "We know very well that the visible and invisible enemies of the country have been planning to weaken this lone Islamic nuclear power. But the mujahideen will foil all such nefarious designs of our enemies," he said. This is for the first time Mehsud has admitted that Taliban has marshalled thousands of fighters close to the Afghan-Pak border and where Pakistani army has launched a major operation to flush them out. Mehsud said people might question how the Taliban would fight alongside the Pakistan Army when the militants had been fighting the force for a long time. Bureau Report

No doubt, Jihadis of the world, unite.

Demonisation' of Muslims around the world must be fought: Top diplomat for Islam

Geneva, Dec 20:

The world's top diplomat for Islam called on Friday for an end to what he termed efforts to equate the religion with terrorism and said the 'demonisation' of Muslims around the world must be fought.

But speaking soon after the UN General Assembly passed an Islamic-sponsored resolution condemning "defamation of religion" for the fourth year in a row, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said his group was committed to respecting freedom of expression.

There was a "rising tide of incitement to religious hatred and discrimination and intolerance targeting Muslims", he told a meeting called by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at the United Nations in Geneva. The 57-nation OIC, based in Saudi Arabia, represents 1.5 billion Muslims.

"Attempts to equate Islam with terrorism should be stopped. Stereotyping and demonisation of Muslims should be combated," said Ihsanoglu, a Turkish history professor who became OIC Secretary-General in 2005.

In a statement on Ihsanoglu's remarks, Geneva spokesman for the International Humanist and Ethical Union Roy Brown argued that Islam was often linked to terror because perpetrators of many terrorist acts identify themselves as Muslims.

Critics of the OIC -- including countries who voted against the "defamation" motion at U.N. headquarters in New York on Thursday -- say many Islamic states use defamation or "blasphemy" laws against minorities and free-thinkers.

Referring to the U.N. vote, in which for the first time since the OIC introduced a "defamation" motion in 2005 more countries voted against or abstained than voted for, Ihsanoglu said the motives of the Islamic grouping were misunderstood.

The aim of the OIC, he declared, "is not to protect religion against critics based on objective and rational interrogation". The body, he added, "is firmly committed to respect for freedom of expression, which is a fundamental human right."

In a statement issued earlier this week, watchdogs on freedom of expression for the U.N.'s Human Rights Council and for key regional inter-state organisations in Africa, Europe and Latin America called for an end to "defamation" resolutions.

The four, three of them prominent developing country human rights lawyers, said that where "blasphemy" laws existed they had often been used "to prevent legitimate criticism of powerful religious leaders and to suppress the views of minorities, dissenting believers and non-believers."

In an echo of their comments, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told Friday's meeting that when criticism of religion became incitement to hatred "urgent but proportionate" action should be taken.

But, she added, "speech critical of religions does not necessarily constitute such incitement" and that it should always be assessed "stressing the importance of protecting the rights of both religious minorities and non-believers alike."

Bureau Report

Until Islam introduces secularism and democracy into its societies, Islam will remain a fertile ground for terrorists to operate from. Christianity broke away from the vice-like grip of the Church with the introduction of secularism and democracy in their societies and today Christianity is not a threat to the world.

Antulay resigns, says Cong should be proud

New Delhi, Dec 19:

Unfazed by the controversy triggered by his remarks on the killing of former ATS chief Hemant Karkare, Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay on Friday said that he stuck to his stand and that both government and Congress should feel "proud" of his comments. "I always stand by the truth," said Antulay, who has sent his resignation to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in the wake of the uproar after he raised questions on Karkare's killing. Asked whether he stood by what he had said two days back, he replied in the affirmative. He had said, "Whether Karkare was a victim of terrorism or terrorism plus something, I do not know..." "I said a man like Karkare is born among millions... Who pushed him in the trap of death? Who sent him there to be killed by the Pakistanis?" was Antulay's refrain. Arguing that Congress had no reason to be embarrassed by whatever he had said, Antulay said, "Both the government and the party should feel proud." Antulay resigned from the Union Cabinet today. Congress Core Committee is slated to decide his fate at a meeting in Delhi later in the evening. 79-year-old Antulay, whose remarks created uproar in Parliament and outside with the Opposition parties demanding his removal, sent his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night itself, sources said.
However, Antulay declined to comment, saying "I am neither confirming it nor denying it". Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Antulay appeared a bit mellowed down yet unfazed by the flak he has been facing. He however, refused to apologise for his remarks by retreating that he has done no wrong by voicing the questions being posed by many people. “I voiced what a lot of people were thinking and have not embarrassed my party in any way,” quipped Antulay. On questions whether he was being forced to resign he said, “I am not under pressure. No one from the congress asked me to resign.” He further claimed that he is a disciplined worker of the party and will do whatever the party asks him to do. His resignation was expected as he had been defiant over his stand and said that he had not met neither the PM nor Sonia Gandhi and even retorted that he owed explanation to none. The open defiance by a senior member of the Cabinet has turned out to be a major embarrassment for the government when it is going all out to tackle terror. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha yesterday that government will respond to the Antulay remarks in this session itself. Congress had earlier steered itself clear from the controversy by claiming that the remarks are Antulay’s personal opinion and neither the party nor the government subscribes to them. Even Maharashtra’s newly appointed Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has gone on record to rebut any possibility of foul play in Hemant Karkare’s death and made it clear that there would be no probe into this matter. The whole controversy erupted with Antulay, while taking to reporters outside Parliament, suspecting the truth behind Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare’s killing during the Mumbai attacks. His divisive statement on such a sensitive issue sent ripples across the nation, with the Opposition seeking a clarification from none other than the Prime Minister itself. Antualy had on Wednesday said, “There is more than what meets the eyes. Karkare was investigating some cases in which there are non-Muslims also,” an apparent reference to the Malegaon blasts case in which sadhvi Pragya Thakur and a Lt Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit were 11 persons to be arrested. "Superficially speaking, they (terrorists) had no reason to kill Karkare. Whether he (Karkare) was a victim of terrorism or terrorism plus something, I do not know," he added.

Antulay Saab, Could it be Allah who sent Karkare to his death, being fed up of his antics in the Malegaon blast case?

Let peace prevail in Kandhamal

D N Singh

Bhubaneswar, Dec 19: A recently-formed outfit called Swami Laxmanand Saraswati Shradhanjali Samiti has called for a ‘Bandh’ on December 25 in Orissa. The state government, on the other hand, is making all efforts not to allow such a ' bandh' to take place as it may stoke unpleasant sentiments. Recently, Orissa’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the Assembly categorically assured Christians in the state and, Kandhamal in particular, that they could celebrate the festival without any fear. A phase of communal unrest had begun in the state in August, and it took nearly a month or more for minimum normalcy to be restored in Kandhamal. Tensions ran high and social equations were under strain. In fact, Orissa is still in a state of recuperative silence following that blood bath. Even now, many roads and lanes are filled with the debris of that communal hatred. For the past few weeks, the mandarins in Orissa have been working overtime to workout a strategy to prevent the ‘bandh’, which otherwise could foment a situation of retaliatory nature. And such an anticipation by the Chief Minister is not unfounded. Despite the low intensity clash in December 2007 in Kandhamal, in which the slain Swami had sustained injuries, the State Government had refused to wake up to the imminence of a possible fall out and was caught with its pants down in 2008. Damage was done. Kandhamal was inflicted by divisions which were never there. Orissa got defamed by poorly-informed intermediaries, who are not even conversant with the basic realities of the strife-torn district. There was a surge in emotional outbursts from both the camps when the winds of death led charred century-old harmony into tatters. Enough is enough. But people of this part have shown the resilience to survive the vicissitudes of an unwelcome process. The government has now demonstrated the will to act. The police, although belatedly, have been able to nab seven persons in connection with the Swami's killing and have detained about 18 more. On the other hand, about four persons are in jail on the charges of their alleged involvement in the nun rape incident. The unrest witnessed by the state was neither an unqualified victory for those who killed the Swami, nor a satisfaction for the ones who retaliated. It’s no time for shadow-boxing between people, who think that a bandh call on the day of coming Christmas would bring peace to the slain Swami's soul, and the government, which thinks that such an official dictate alone can be the deterrent against any such eventuality. Why not a dialogue? The people of Kandhamal do not deserve any more punishment.

Hindus shall no longer be push-overs.

Kasab belongs to Pakistan, says Nawaz Sharif

Islamabad, Dec 19:

Challenging President Asif Ali Zardari's assertion that there was no proof that the arrested Mumbai attacker Ajmal alias Kasab hailed from Pakistan's Punjab province, former premier Nawaz Sharif has said that Kasab indeed belongs to the country's Punjab province and that Pak Army must admit its role in terror. "I have checked myself. His (Ajmal Amir Iman alias Ajmal Kasab) house and village has been cordoned off by the security agencies. His parents are not allowed to meet anybody. I don't understand why it has been done," Sharif, who hails from Punjab, said in an interview to Geo News channel. "The people and media should be allowed to meet Iman's parents so that the truth could come out in the open," he said, adding that "We need some kind of introspection." Meanwhile, the Pakistan government has termed Nawaz’s comments as “ill-timed” and asked all political parties to unite in the difficult times. Zardari, who earlier acknowledged that the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage could be 'non-state' actors from Pakistan, has now said there is still no "real evidence" that the terrorists who attacked Mumbai came from Pakistan. "Have you seen any evidence to that effect? I have definitely not seen any real evidence to that effect," Zardari told BBC in an interview this week. Pakistani security agencies and local officials in Faridkot have launched a cover-up since India made it public that Kasab belonged to the village in Punjab province and his father acknowledged to a Pakistani newspaper, that the gunman captured in India was his son. Sharif also slammed Zardari's rule, saying the functioning of the current Pakistan People's Party-led government is making Pakistan look like a "failed state". Pakistan presents the picture of a failed and ungovernable state due to the absence of the government's writ and the country urgently needs a new roadmap to pull it out of the problems it is currently facing, he said. The PML-N chief said the dictatorial rule of former President Pervez Musharraf had made the country ungovernable. "Since 1977, the army has ruled the country for more than 20 years... A state subjected to frequent military intervention in politics can only become ungovernable." He said India should have shared intelligence about the Mumbai attacks with Pakistan instead of approaching the UN Security Council. Sharif also criticised what he described as the government's "clarifications" regarding the purported violation of Pakistani airspace by Indian fighter jets. Noting that Pakistan was getting isolated in the international community, Sharif said there is a need to find the root causes of terrorism. He also condemned Zardari's reported statement that US drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal areas would continue. The government should make it clear to the US that such attacks went against the country's integrity and would not be tolerated, he said. Though the PPP-led government had been in power for ten months, there was little hope of any improvement in the affairs of the state, Sharif said, adding that it was up to the nation to decide whether to make Pakistan a failed state or a successful state. Sharif said the PML-N wanted an independent judiciary and the repeal of the 17th constitutional amendment, which gives the President sweeping powers, including the ability to dissolve parliament and to dismiss the Prime Minister. The PML-N will pressure the government to implement the Charter of Democracy, which according to him, was the "will" of slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. Sharif and Bhutto signed the Charter in 2006 when they launched a joint movement against Musharraf while they were both in exile. The Charter envisages wide-ranging reforms, including the scrapping of the President's powers, making the judiciary independent and clipping the powers of the military. Bureau Report

Nawaz Shariff is obviously fishing in troubled waters. His statement implies that it was the Pakistani army who was behind the Mumbai attack. As always, Nawaz Shariff is careful about keeping Islamic extremists on his side. So long as Pakistani leadership is unable to say that it is Islamic zealots who harm the country most, Pakistan will not revive from being a failed state.

Antulay neither confirms nor denies sending resignation to PM

Zeenews Bureau New Delhi, Dec 19:

Union Minister AR Antulay, who is at the centre of a storm triggered by his remarks on the circumstances surrounding Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare's killing, has sent his resignation to Prime Minister MAnmohan Singh, highly placed sources said on Friday.
79-year-old Antulay, whose remarks created uproar in Parliament and outside with the Opposition parties demanding his removal, had sent his resignation on Wednesday night, they said. When contacted, Antulay today declined to comment, saying "I am neither confirming it nor denying it". His resignation was expected as he had been defiant over his stand and said that he had not met neither the PM nor Sonia Gandhi and even retorted that he owed explanation to none. The open defiance by a senior member of the cabinet has turned out to be a major embarrassment for the government when it is going all out to tackle terror. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha yesterday that government will respond to the Antulay remarks in this session itself. Congress had steered itself clear from the controversy by claiming that the remarks are Antulay’s personal opinion and neither the party nor the government subscribes to them. Even Maharashtra’s newly appointed Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has gone on record to rebut any possibility of foul play in Hemant Karkare’s death and made it clear that there would be no probe into this matter. The whole controversy erupted with Antulay, while taking to reporters outside Parliament, suspecting the truth behind Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare’s killing during the Mumbai attacks. His divisive statement on such a sensitive issue sent ripples across the nation, with the Opposition seeking a clarification from none other than the Prime Minister itself. Antualy had on Wednesday said, “There is more than what meets the eyes. Karkare was investigating some cases in which there are non-Muslims also,” an apparent reference to the Malegaon blasts case in which sadhvi Pragya Thakur and a Lt Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit were 11 persons to be arrested. "Superficially speaking, they (terrorists) had no reason to kill Karkare. Whether he (Karkare) was a victim of terrorism or terrorism plus something, I do not know," he added.

What? Sack Antulay? No way. Congress is going all out to get the Muslim vote and in no way will they rankle Muslim feelings. Hindu feelings, they know, can be taken for granted, as Rajasthan and Delhi proved.

Antulay embarrasses govt, questions Karkare’s death

New Delhi, Dec 17:

Union Minorities Affairs Minister AR Antulay courted controversy on Wednesday by suspecting the truth behind Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare’s killing during the Mumbai attacks. His divisive statement on such a sensitive issue is now bound to send ripples across the nation, with the Opposition already seeking a clarification from the Prime Minister.
Maintaining that "there is more than what meets the eyes", he said “Karkare was investigating some cases in which "there are non-Muslims also", an apparent reference to the Malegaon blasts case in which sadhvi Pragya Thakur and a Lt Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit were 11 persons to be arrested. Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay set off a major controversy today when he raised doubts over the killing of Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare by Pakistani terrorists, suggesting a link with the Malegaon blasts that were investigated by him. Opposition parties were quick to attack the minister for his "misdemeanour" and demanded immediate clarification from the Prime Minister but the Congress party distanced itself saying they were his "personal remarks". BJP and Shiv Sena members raked up the issue in Lok Sabha and demanded Home Minister P Chidambaram, who had moved two anti-terror bills, to clarify the situation. Maintaining that "there is more than what meets the eyes", Antulay said Karkare was investigating some cases in which "there are non-Muslims also", an apparent reference to the Malegaon blasts case in which sadhvi Pragya Thakur and a Lt Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit were among the 11 persons to be arrested. "Unfortunately his end came. It may be a separate inquiry how his (Karkare's) end came, he told reporters outside Parliament. Antulay said "Karkare found that there are non Muslims involved in the acts terrorism during his investigations in some cases. Any person going to the roots of terror has always been the target, he said. "Superficially speaking they (terrorists) had no reason to kill Karkare. Whether he (Karkare) was victim of terrorism or terrorism plus something. I do not know," he added. Reacting to Antulay's remarks, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi they should be treated his "personal views" and Congress party does not not agree with them and does not not support such a formulation. To a question, he said there was no no question embarrassment to the party. Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh, who himself was in the centre of a controversy when he had raised doubts over the killing of a Delhi police official in an encounter recently, said a senior leader like Antulay should before issuing any statement uphold the cherished tradition of collective wisdom of the Cabinet. Not not completely disapproving the remarks, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said Antulay must be having "more information" since he hails from Maharashtra. Congress disassociates itself from Antulay's remarks The Congress today disassociated itself from the statement of Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay suggesting that the killing of Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare could be due to his investigation of the Malegaon blast. "If it (the statement of Antulay) is correct we do not accept the innuendo and the aspersions cast," Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here. Singhvi said the Congress does not accept expressing doubt and raising questions on the issue. "This should be the end of the matter. The Congress does not agree with Antulay's statement," Singhvi said. Anti-terror laws should cover communal riots' Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay today demanded that communal riots should be brought under the purview of the new anti- terror law being brought in by the government to combat terrorism. "This law should also be applicable against communal rioters because rioters are also terrorists," he told reporters here adding that "this is his personal view that nobody can stop him from airing". Referring to the killing of a large number of people in communal riots in independent India, he said those people who inflame communal riots should also be punished. He, however, refused to answer whether this demand was raised in the cabinet and later shot down by the government.

What Antulay is saying is that Hindus hired mercenaries of Pakistani origin to carry out the Mumbai attack so that Islamic terrorism is back on centre stage. Improbable, but then Muslims have always lived in a world of denial – the basic denial being Islam is a religion of violence.

Shiv Sena warns legal community against taking Ajmal Kasab's case

Pune, Dec 17:

The Shiv Sena Wednesday warned legal community to refrain from taking the case of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Iman, the lone terrorist caught alive in November 26 Mumbai terror attacks and demanded that he be hanged without trial.

The party, whose workers have already bashed up two lawyers in the state for coming forward to defend Ajmal, said in an editorial in 'Saamana' that the terrorist who was a part of the nefarious design that killed innocent people should be hanged in front of Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

The trained terrorists attacked Mumbai, the financial capital of India, in one of the most barbaric acts which were watched by the whole world on television screens.

Those who want to defend them in courts are doing it for money and publicity facilitating their prolonged treatment as government guests, the paper said.

Despite the death sentence, Afzal Guru, guilty of attack on Indian parliament has still survived and the same sequence could be repeated in case of Ajmal in the name of secular and democratic norms, the editorial said.

It further said that the so called human rights groups should be alive to people's outrage and a legal defence of the terrorists would continue to draw reaction from Shiv Sena.

Bureau Report

Let the law take its course. Dispensing with trials, however clear the guilt, would set a bad precedent. What has to be tackled is corruption in legal dispersion. We must have a new POTA-like law to pin any member of the legal fraternity who adopts corrupt practices.

No lawyer can refuse to defend an accused: Jethmalani

New Delhi, Dec 14: With certain lawyer bodies declining to take up the case of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone militant arrested in the Mumbai terror attacks, eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani on Sunday maintained that no lawyer has the right to say he will not defend an accused.

"There is the express rule of the Bar Council of India that no lawyer shall refuse to defend a person on the grounds that it will make him unpopular," Jethmalani said.

"That is something that should never worry a lawyer. No lawyer worth the name should even talk about this kind of a thing," Jethmalani said and asked the legal community not to worry about peer criticism while taking up such cases.

"No lawyer has the right to say that he will not defend an accused," the eminent jurist told a news channel.

Asked whether he had been approached to defend the terrorist, he said, "Has Kasab asked me? Let him ask me and I will tell him. Let the Pakistan High Commission approach me and I will give them a proper reply and advise."

Jethmalani said that a lawyer should advise his client on the basis of facts. "The lawyer's duty is to say that on the facts I find no defence. The man is guilty on his own confession... unless he instructs the lawyer, the confession was obtained by some force or fraud or whatever, which is very unlikely".

"A lawyer should be able to tell him (the terrorist) that either hanging or life imprisonment is your option.

"If you want me to tell the court that you should receive life imprisonment I am prepared to do my best," Jethmalani said.

On the terror attacks, he said, "According to me, a person who thinks that by doing these actions, he is going to heaven he should be denied the chance to go to heaven, he should remain the rest of life in a jail in India".

Bureau Report

Your comment(s) on this article

Just like no doctor can refuse to treat a patient? -K.Venugopal - Mumbai

'Inter-linking of rivers benefits agriculture, industry'

Guntur (AP), Dec 14:

of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources R Sambasiva Rao on Sunday demanded implementation of the interlinking of rivers programme in the country.

Speaking at the inauguration of Kodanda Ram Lift Irrigation Scheme at Dharanikota village in Guntur, Rao said, the programme will boost agriculture production, create employment, generate power and a give a fillip to industrial growth.

By transferring excess water the programme averts floods in some rivers and mitigate drought caused for want of irrigation facilities in other areas, he said.

Rao said the Standing Committee has identified five links for priority consideration. They are Godavari-Krishna, Ken-Betwa, Parbath-Kalisindh, Par-Tapi, Naramada and Daman-Ganga-Pinai.

Bureau Report
Your comment(s) on this article
Is someone only waking up to this now? The NDA government had a programme on course for linking of India`s rivers. Unfortunately the UPA government did not follow it up, as it did not many of NDA's excellent policies or if it did, it perverted them. -K.Venugopal - Mumbai

http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-14/491048news.html

India should destroy Pak terror camps: Arun Shourie

Hazaribag (Jharkhand), Dec 14: The Centre should ponder over destroying the training camps of terrorists in Pakistan, former Union minister and BJP leader Arun Shourie said.

The terrorist activities in India had made the people scared. And for this the Centre should seriously concentrate on the idea, Shourie told a seminar here on Saturday.

Now that the Centre had the backing of all parties, it should act urgently, he said.

"Pakistan is waging a proxy war as it does not want India to prosper and develop. The proxy war, which was introduced by late military ruler Zia-ul-Haque, has been continuing by successive Pakistani regimes, military or civilian. Therefore, India should deal with it strongly," Shourie, also an eminent journalist, said.

Your comment(s) on this article

The destroying of Pakistani terror camps would be an un-actionable move because the camps would have already evaporated from where they were and they would be waiting for the situation to calm down before they begin them in other places. India should immediately cut off all diplomatic and other relations with Pakistan until they hand over the people India has asked for. -K.Venugopal - Mumbai

Hope all the indian politicians understand this, they know it, they definetly understand it but some how we always want to be Mr. nice nation, come on 4 wars we defeated them we have twice their military twice their air force, three times the nukes come on. re unite the sub continent , take POK back. -Indian - India

http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-14/491020news.html

We're told to take hostages & make demands: Kasab

Mumbai, Dec 14:

The terrorists, who carried out the dastardly attack in Mumbai, had been instructed by their masters in Pakistan to take hostages and make demands through the media, according to the lone surviving suspect Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab.

Kasab's statement recorded by Mumbai police gives details of the intensive training given to 10 terrorists who killed 183 people when they struck this metropolis on the evening of November 26. Actually 32 young men were trained initially out of which five teams of two each were dispatched for Mumbai from Karachi three days earlier via sea.

According to police sources, Kasab has stated that originally they were instructed to carry out firing at rush hours in the morning between 7.00 and 11.00 am and the same hours in the evening.

The plan was to kidnap some persons and take them to the roof of some nearby building, the 21-year-old resident of Faridkot village in Pakistan's Punjab province has said.

From there, the terrorists were to contact "chacha" (uncle), their trainer whose full name is Zaqi-Ur-Rahman 'chacha'.

The 'chacha' is obviously Zaki-Ur-Rahman Lakhvi, chief of operations of Lashkar-e Toiba (LeT), one of the four persons declared terrorists last week by the UN Security Council, which had also designated Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) and two of its sister organisations, Al-Rashid Trust and Al-Akhtar Trust, as terrorist groups.

"After that chacha would give the telephone or mobile numbers of the electronic media. We were then to contact the media persons on the same phone," Ajmal said.

As per 'chacha's' instructions, the terrorists would then make demands for releasing the hostages. This was the general strategy by their trainers.

Police sources said the fact that the terrorist duo that opened fire in the CST station did not take any hostages or make any demands indicates either their plot went wrong or their masterminds might have misled them into believing that once they took hostages they can make demands for their own exit from India.

On that pretext they would have been coaxed into believing that even after they create the mayhem there are chances of their escaping from India.

The date fixed for the operation was September 27 this year. However, the operation was cancelled for some reason. They stayed in Karachi where they made practice of travelling by speed boats on the sea. They stayed there up to November 23, three days before the launch of the attack in Mumbai.

On November 23 the five teams of two each, including Kasab's, left from Azizabad, Karachi along with Zaki-Ur-Rehman and another person.

"We were taken to the nearby sea shore. At 04:15 hours we reached the sea shore. At the sea shore we boarded a launch. After travelling for 22 to 25 nautical miles we met a bigger launch in the sea. We boarded the said launch and after journey of one hour we boarded a bigger ship by name Al-Huseini in the deep sea," says Kasab.

While boarding the said ship each one of them was given a sack containing eight grenades, one A K 47 rifle, 200 cartridges, two magazines and one cell phone for communication. Then they started towards the Indian coast.

Kasab, who had studied up to the 4th standard, intended to be a robber for which purpose he was looking for fire arms, the search that led to Lashkar-e-Toiba stalls at Raja Bazaar in Rawalpindi on Bakr-Id.

Following are the excerpts from Ajmal's statement to the police:

--After making enquiries we reached LeT office. In the LeT office we met a person. We told him that we wanted to join LeT. He made some enquiry with us, noted our names and address and told us to come on the next day.

--On the next day we went to LeT office and met the same man. One more person was present with him. He gave us Rs 200 and some receipt. Then he gave us the address of a place called Marqas Taiyyaba, Muridke, and told us to go to the said place where LeT is having their training camp.

--As directed we went to the said place. We showed the receipt given to us at the gate of the camp. We were allowed inside. At the entry gate our details were filled up on two forms. Then we were taken to the actual camp area.

--At the said place we were selected for 21 days training called Daura-Safa, from the next day, we started attending training.

--After completion of the above said training, we were selected for another training called Daura-Ama. The said training was also for 21 days. We were then taken in a vehicle to a place called Mansera, Bhuttal village. At the said place we were given training of all weapons for 21 days.

--After two months of training, I was allowed to go to meet my parents. I stayed with my parents for one month. Thereafter, I went to LeT camp situated at Shaiwainala, Muzaffarbad, for further advanced training. At that place they took my photographs and filled up some forms. Then we were taken to Chelabandi pahadi area for training called Duara-khas. The said training was for three months.

--The training included PT (physical training), handling of all weapons and firing practice of the said weapons, training of handling of hand grenade, rocket launchers and mortars.

--At the said place 32 persons were present for training. Out of these 32 trainees, 16 were selected for some confidential operation by one Zaki-Ur-Rehman chacha. Out of these 16 trainees, three trainees ran away from the camp. The above said 'chacha' then sent the remaining 13 of us along with a person called Kafa to the above said earlier camp at Muridke.

--At Muridke we were taught swimming and getting acquainted with the environment experienced by a fisherman on a sea. We did some experimental tours by launches on the sea. During the said training we were given lectures on working of Indian security agencies. We were shown the clippings highlighting the atrocities on Muslims in India.

--At the camp, again we underwent the training of swimming and getting acquainted with the environment and experience on sea. The training continued for one month. During the training we were given lectures on India and its security agencies including RAW.

--We were also given the training on how to evade the chase by security personnel. We were strictly instructed not to make phone calls to Pakistan after reaching India.

--Victoria Terminus Team. My team included myself and Ismail. Our code name was VTS team. We were then shown the site 'goggle earth' on internet. We were shown the film on VT railway station and the film showing the commuters moving around at rush hours at VT railway station.

--After journey of about three days we reached near sea shore of Mumbai. While we were at some distance from the shore, Ismail and Afadulla killed the Indian seaman (Dandle) at the basement of the said Indian launch. Then we boarded inflatable Dinghi and reached Budwar Park Jetty as per the instructions received earlier.

--After getting down at Budwar Park, I went along with Ismail to VT railway station by taxi. After reaching the hall of VT railway station we, i.e. Ismail and myself went to the common toilet, took out the weapons from our sacks, loaded them, came out of the toilet and started firing indiscriminately towards the passengers.

--Suddenly one police officer in uniform came towards us and opened fire. In retaliation we threw hand grenades towards him and also opened fire.

--Then we went inside the railway station threatening the commuters and randomly firing at them. Then we came out of the railway station and started searching for a building with roof top. But we did not find a suitable building. Therefore we entered a lane.

--When we were coming out of a hospital premises, we suddenly saw one police vehicle passing in front of us. Therefore we took shelter behind a bush. Another vehicle passed in front of us and stopped at some distance.

--One police officer got down from the said vehicle and started firing at us. One bullet hit my hand and my AK 47 dropped down. I bent to pick it up when second bullet hit me on the same hand. I got injured. Ismail opened fire at the officers who were in the said vehicle. They got injured and firing from that side stopped.

--We waited for some time and then went towards the said vehicle. Three bodies lying there. Ismail removed the three bodies and drove the said vehicle. I sat next to him. Our vehicle got punctured near a big ground by the side of the road.

--Ismail got down from the driver seat, stopped a car at the gun point and removed the three lady occupants from the said car. Then Ismail carried me to the car and sat me inside as I was injured. Then he drove the said car.

--While we were moving in the car, we were stopped on the road near sea shore. Ismail fired towards them. Some policemen got injured. Police also opened fire towards us. Due to the police firing Ismail got injured. Then police moved us to some hospital. In the hospital I came to know that Ismail succumbed to the injuries he sustained.

Bureau Report
Your comment(s) on this article
Did the UPA government take a policy decision on the Mumbai terror attacks that the terrorists should not be allowed to make any demands? Did the UPA government want to avoid the predicament that faced the NDA when they had to give in to the terrorists’ demands when they airjacked a plane to Kandahar? Does this mean that the lives of hostages at Nariman House, Taj and Oberoi could have been saved if the UPA government took the NDA route? An enquiry should be gone into this. -K.Venugopal - Mumbai

IT seems FARAZ has not seen the sting operation of GEO TV . THAT IS why he is speaking like this. firsty INTROSPECT your self , then point finger towards India . For the FIRST TIME in Indian history, EVERY country of the world is with India.BECAUSE OF THE TRUE EVIDENSES, INDIA HAS PRESENTED IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE WORLD. -WARRIER OF BHARAT - LUCKNOW

People cannot beleive this stories even in movie form ,but this was a reality written by morons ..... Imagine boys went to indian metroplis by sea as easy as 123 with heavy arms and ammunitions ...lol and they have been instructed by google earth another joke and they walked in the city like hollywood hunks without any resistance by INDIAN police ........ get a life you silly INDIANs,..why these so called pakistani terrorists had to kill the man behind investigation of samjhauta express victims and who caught the real terrorist an indian army official Gen prohit sharma with many religious hindu terrorists ,i am talking about Mr kurkuray and his whole team have been killed at eve of these inside jobs done in mumbai to malign Pakistan ....... answer this .......... -Faraz - Pak

Sure Mr. Hind. Now you see the fate of another so call innoscent terrorist. India is going to hang him through his balls and maybe you also. -Sunil - Sharjah

This is what you get when you torture, kill, murder, innocent people in Kashmir. This is nothing but the backlash India is receiving from the blood of the innocent in KASHMIR. Kashmir cries for Justice. Their blood shall not go waste. God ensures that justice will prevail. India is getting the collateral damage. It is time to repay Bharat Mata. -Hind - India


http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-14/490895news.html

A deeper insight into 26/11

S.O. News service, Saturday, 13 December 2008: Mr. Amresh Mishra is one among the small fraction of group of the Brahmins community in the country. This group is of the view that 'lack of justice' is the basic issue at the present time in our country. A short article written by him was published on Friday, the 28th of November 2008 issue of Urdu daily newspaper 'Urdu Times'. Prior to having any comments on this article, a transliteration of this Urdu article has been provided below for the readers. "Mumbai once again has been attacked by terrorists. The terrible game-show, jointly played by RSS and Mosad is not in control any more. The whole active team of ATS (Anti-Terrorist Squad) has conducted fair and impartial investigation. The role of the Hindutava-terrorists for their involvement in the Malegaon Bomb blast has been wiped out. The RSS activists and members are celebrating the death of Mr. Hementh Karkare, ATS chief. They believe that Mr. Hemanth received the punishment for the sin he committed (i.e) arresting Sadhus. In this regard, there are many questions that creep up in one's mind. A few may be - The reason behind Mr. LK Advani meeting the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh? What did they converse or talk about in this meeting? Why did the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh release such a weak and defensive statement along with Mr. M K Narayan, National Security Advisor after assuring that Sadhvi will not be tortured in the future? What is the kind of relationship that exists between L K Advani and Mr Singh? Is Sonia Gandhi aware of this? Few days ago, Mr. A N Ray, DGP, Maharashtra and Abdul Ghafoor, Mumbai Police Commissioner suspended the infamous Pradeep Mishra, Ex- encounter specialist from his duty. The official allegations made against him include, working for the Chota Rajan Gang and killing innocent Muslims and at times manhandling them with ruthless torture, as and how he wished. The point that can be taken into account here is that the three important leaders of ATS, Mr. Hemanth Karkare, Vijay Salsekar and Ashok Kamte belonged to the anti- Pradeep Sharma and anti - Chota Rajan group. Now, The Indian media is talking about the suspected role of under world in the attack. It is quite shocking that these officers lost their lives while fighting against terror. The relationship between Mosad, RSS and Rajan seems to be quite cordial. In the year 1990, there was a deliberate attempt to name Chota Rajan as a 'Hindu Don', in contrast with Dawood Ibrahim. 1999 - 2004 was the period when NDA ruled. At this time, the cordial relationship between Chota Rajan and Mr. Advani, the Home Minister of the NDA Government was brought to light. One of the most awful facts of the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack was that nobody was injured inside the Nariman House even though the ceaseless firing was on. Nariman House is also known as the traditional base of Jews in Mumbai. In addition to these facts, another fact worth noting is that the investigation lead by ATS Chief Hemant Karkare regarding the Malegaon Bomb Blast was in its last stage and the involvement of Praveen Togadia and Chota Rajan was just about to confirm. All the facts presented here are so apparent that there is no reason to doubt its authenticity." The above transliteration was written by Mr. Amresh Mishra on the 27th of November. After this there were few developments that took place. A commando operation was initiated to set the Nariman house free from the hold of terrorists. After a struggle of about 24 hours, two terrorists were gunned down, while the 5 jews who were detained by the terrorists as hostages were found dead. According to the Hebrew newspaper from Jerusalem, a total of nine Israelites were there in the Nariman House at that particular time. According to another daily there were 14 Israeli citizens present in Mumbai. The facts portrayed by the dailies and news channels are entirely different in regard to these incidents. We have got a few quotes of the eye witnesses of the incidents and their views are presented here for the readers to have an insight and to judge the situation for themselves. Fact No. 1: Till date there is not a single organization whether in print media or in electronic media that has mentioned about Hindu Terrorism. This implies that the terrorists arrested with regard to the Malegaon and Modasa Bomb Blast has been camouflaged. Since then, the thought of Sadhvi Pragiya Thakar, Swami Dayanand, Col. Purohit and escaped Ramji has disappeared from ones minds. There is also no one who questioned about the Naded Bomb blast, Bajrang Dal, Abhino Bharat and many of the similar kind. Therefore, the initiative taken by the Sangh Parivar to divert people's attention from Hindu terrorism was accomplished. Now, the developments that have taken place after the Mumbai attack can be questioned. Isn't it the same? Haven't these groups achieved their goals? Fact No.2: One of the intensions of the Sangh Parivar was to get rid of the entire existing team of ATS; this has been achieved through this attack. The officer appointed as the ATS chief, in place of Hemant Karkare was already known for his controversial milieu. This officer led the ATS prior to Hemant Karkare. His records were contradictory to that of Karkare. Sangh Parivar has no objection to the appointment of the new chief, while it had objected the appointment of Karkare. Before his death, the Sangh Parivar had initiated a campaign to censure him. Till date, the Sangh Parivar has not criticized any officer other than Mr. Hemant Karkare. Fact No.3: The conditions of the death of Mr. Hemant Karkare and Ashok Kamte have remained obscure. There are no assertions that have been made about their death. At present this is a forgotten tale and one cannot expect such a report to be explored. According to an expert in the field of intelligence investigations, the murder of the trustworthy ATS officer, Hemant Karkare resembled the murder of Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma at Batla House, Jamia Nagar, Delhi. Fact No. 4: Following the investigations till now, only Abhino Bharat has been brought into light. The death of Ashok Kamte and Hemant Karkare has also shut the files of investigation which was supposed to reveal the largest Hindu Terrorism Organization, which nobody was aware of. One cannot imagine the reopening of these files after their death. The Union Minister of the state, for Home affairs, Mr. Prakash Jaiswal, admitted in a press conference - "The death of the officers like Mr. Hemanth Karkare is a great shock to the country and the investigations of ATS are going have adverse affects." The statement of such an important union minister was thrown of the air by all the news channels, immediately after its broadcast. What were the intentions behind this? And who ordered it? Fact No.5: This terrorist attack marked the major failure of the Indian Intelligence. According to the above mentioned expert in the field, the progress of the investigations in the intelligence agencies are dawdling, due to the rise in corruption. For the intelligence agencies, it is quite easy to hold any cross border or Kashmiri Organization responsible, as they have been the most sensitive of all the targets and one will not have to put major efforts to prove their allegations as nobody will dare to challenge them. According to the official reports, only ten terrorists had traumatized the whole country by creating a war like situation for a total of 60 hours. These terrorists sailed in from Karachi via Porbandar, Gujarat. This implies that the Indian Navy, Indian Coastal Guards, Indian Military, Intelligence, RAW and many such forces were sleeping at that particular time. If ten terrorist can bring in such a large amount of explosives, arms and artilleries and disturb the routine of the financial capital for sixty full hours, one can ponder over and simply imagine the amount of destruction that can be created by fifty terrorists. This simple imagination can easily inflict an individual to panic with fear. Fact No.6: One can assert that our intelligence agencies and Military is not incompetent, it can handle any kind of emergency situations. It can protect our country from the unforeseen incidents; it has proved its ability during the Mumbai terror attack by gunning down 9 terrorists. With all this, there is one question that will remain unanswered and that is, knowing the reason for this attack. Fact No.7 This terror attack can be entitled as the 9/11 of India. But this sentence can be right only in the context of involvement of few internal elements that may be favoured by the Sangh Parivar on one hand and a strong relationship with Israeli Mosad's on the other hand. These views are suggested by the data collected from Col. Purohit's laptop. However, the major question that will arise is whether the public will be enlightened with this fact. But, as a contradiction, the death of Hemant Karkare and Ashok Kamte has already answered the question. Fact No.8: Sources convey that, for further investigations, the Indian Government will invite FBI from America, ISI from Pakistan and Mosad from Israel. We cannot have high hopes on these investigating agencies, as the case of assassination of Benazir Bhutto and John F Kennedy has still remained a mystery. Fact No.9: One of the major facts is that the bureaucrats in the Government are aware of most of these facts. Most people will be aware of every bit of information in their departments and countries. The question here is what one can expect from a Prime Minister who assures the Sangh Parivar's future appointed Prime Minister and gives further elucidation regarding the arrest and alleged torture of the Hindu Terrorists. In a way, the problem also initiates due to internal clashes. If the Government reveals the truth, it will have to face serious consequences. But for now, it is not ready to come to blows with RSS. And the congress never had an open fight with RSS. The mouth organ of Chinese communist party and the largest daily of China People's daily had written in its issue of 28th November 2008 that in the terrorist attack of Mumbai the role of Hindu terrorist can't be ruled out. Further details of this report can be read in a report written by Shubha Jeeth Ray on page No. 12 of The Indian Express issue of 29th November, 2008. The country lovers are flabbergasted to know the hidden agenda of Mosad - Sangh Parivar of devastating and destructing the country. However, one can still hope for further improvement in our country. This will need the contribution of the peace loving citizens of our country who should not allow these fascists to fulfill their aspiration of wrecking the country.

Hindu terrorism budded only because of Islamic terrorism and the UPA government’s perceived lack of will to tackle it. If the source of terrorism in India is crushed, that is Pakistan, then all forms of terrorism will decrease and eventually die out in India. 26/11 is an opportunity for India to crush terrorism once and for all.

http://www.sahilonline.org/english/news.php?catID=nationalnews&nid=4195#commentTop

Pak govt should be given a chance to act against terror: Joshi

Varanasi, Dec 13:

Pakistan's democratically elected government should be given a chance to act on its promise of dismantling terror set-up on its soil, BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi said on Saturday.

"Pakistan has no option except to take action against terrorist groups in the country....There is an elected government in Pakistan. It should be given a chance to act on promises it has made to the international community regarding action against the terrorists," Joshi told reporters here.

Joshi, who has been named as the party candidate for Varanasi constituency, said the BJP will extend all possible support to the Centre in tackling the terror menace.

"Congress-led UPA government should ask Pakistan to hand over persons responsible for Mumbai terror attacks," he said.

The leader said the Centre needs to assure the nation that it is determined to take on terror once for all. "It is the duty of the government to create consensus on the measures to be taken on against terrorism," he said.

Joshi said that the government also needs to build consensus among political parties to improve economic condition of the country. "The government needs to closely monitor the fast changing global economy and alter its policies accordingly," he added.

The BJP leader said that his party was seriously deliberating on its debacle in Rajasthan and corrective measures would be taken soon.


Your comment(s) on this article

The question of Pakistan acting against terrorists does not arise because the terrorists are acting in the name of Islam and Pakistan is an Islamic state. They might do something cosmetic in the case of Mumbai terror attacks because the world community is watching. But all the terrorist camps will all continue and next time there would be no direct attacks, but only planting of bombs and blaming the Hindus for it, through their Indian agents. So India should strike the iron while it is hot. Giving them time and all that, as Murali Manohar Joshi has said, will only allow things to cool down and India would have lost forever a great opportunity to at least cripple Pakistan, if not downright destroy it. -K.Venugopal - Mumbai

26/11 an opportunity for India, Pak to work together: Tipnis

New Delhi, Dec 13:

Former air chief Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis on Saturday said the 26/11 terror strikes have given India an opportunity to work together with Pakistan government to beat the "common enemies" in the army, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and terrorists there.

"India should understand the situation in Pakistan where the government is in hands of puppeteers in the Army and ISI. We should work with their government to beat our common enemies in the Pakistan Army, ISI and the terrorists there," Tipnis said while addressing a seminar on 'Politics, national security and the role of people's anger' here.

The former air chief said the country's response to terror attack in Mumbai should not be decided in "anger" as it will not bring out any solution to the present situation.

Former Border Security Force director general Prakash Singh demanded an inquiry commission to look in to the 26/11 strikes on the lines of 9/11 Commission set up in the US.

"We should set up a 26/11 commission, which should look into the reasons why the incident happened and take action against politicians and officials responsible for it," he said.

Singh said the government's future steps against terrorism should make Pakistan decide against carrying out a proxy war in India.

"Government should take strict action, including covert operations against Pakistan's proxy war, so that they realise that they also have to pay heavily for acting against India," he said.

Former Defence Minister and JD (U) leader George Fernandes and former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Jagmohan were present on the occasion.

Your comment(s) on this article

Work together against the common enemy? After a terrorist act has been carried out, Pakistan may concede, under international pressure, that those who actually carried out the terrorist attack are terrorists. But what about the preparatory stages? Pakistan would turn a blind eye to them because they would all be done in the name of protecting Islam and the Pakistani state is dedicated to protecting Islam. Therefore if we work with Pakistan against a so-called common enemy, they will only divert and dilute our vigil against terrorists. The only solution is to destroy Pakistan and Bangladesh, declare the two-nation theory a flop and integrate Indian Muslims into the mainstream. -K.Venugopal - Mumbai

Ajmal Kasab is my son, says Mumbai attacker's father

Islamabad, Dec 12:

Though LeT and JuD may disown him, the father of the lone Pakistani gunman arrested for the Mumbai terror attacks has admitted that the young man whose picture was beamed by media across the world, is his son.

Amir Kasab, the father of Ajmal Amir Iman alias Ajmal Qasab, broke down as he confessed to an influential newspaper in the courtyard of his house in Faridkot, a village of about 2,500 people in Okara district of Punjab province.

"I was in denial for the first couple of days, saying to myself it could not have been my son... Now I have accepted it. This is the truth. I have seen the picture in the newspaper. This is my son Ajmal," Amir said in his first interview to the media since his son's arrest.

Britain's Observer newspaper and BBC had earlier reported that Iman belonged to Faridkot and had joined the Lashker-e-Taiba some time ago.

The Observer's correspondent had located Iman's home and got hold of the voters' roll which had the names of his parents Amir Kasab and Noor as well as the numbers on their national identity cards.

Reports had said that Iman left home as a frustrated teenager about four years ago and went to Lahore in search of a job. After a brush with crime in that city, he reportedly joined the LeT.

Amir Kasab, a father of three sons and two daughters, said his son disappeared from home four years ago. "He had asked me for new clothes on Eid that I couldn't provide him. He got angry and left," he said.

Bureau Report

Have the investigating agencies analyzed the bullets fired by Ajmal and identified those who were hit by them? Otherwise his defence may well claim that Ajmal did not kill anyone, charging all killings to Ismail, the terrorist who was with him and got killed. There may be elements who may want Ajmal to escape the gallows so that one day he can be honoured as a great son who fought for the cause of Muslims.

Shivraj, Raman to be sworn in today

Bhopal, Dec 12: Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh will be sworn-in as the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh respectively on Friday.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Dr. Balram Jakhar will administer oath of office to Chouhan at the Jamboori Maidan.

The ceremony will be attended by BJP President Rajnath Singh, senior leader L K Advani, former President M Venkaiah Naidu, General Secretary in-charge of the state Anant Kumar and senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushma Swaraj.

Chouhan is scheduled to take oath of office for the second time. This is for the first time that any non-Congress government has come to power for the second successive term in the history of Madhya Pradesh.

Star campaigners, including Navjot Singh Sidhu, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini and Smriti Irani are also expected to present during the occasion.

Chouhan is also scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Raman Singh.

The ruling BJP led by Chouhan retained power in Madhya Pradesh as the BJP bagged 144 seats while the Congress managed to win 70 seats with 16 seats going to others.

The BJP also retained its grip over Chhattisgarh securing a comfortable majority with 50 seats in the elections to the 90-member state assembly, pushing main rival Congress with 38 seats to a distant second spot.

ANI

Your comment(s) on this article

BJP`s victory in both these states is remarkable. BJP has much to be proud of. The victories here more than offsets the loss in Rajasthan and failure to win in Delhi. -K.Venugopal - Mumbai