Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

[SSridhar]

Chetak, Pakistanis will certainly ask for access to Kasab because the chargesheet in ATC, Adiala is being founded largely on the confession of Kasab. Already, the defence lawyers in Pakistan are claiming that the confession to an Indian magistrate are inadmissible as evidence in a Pakistani court. After all, won't the Hindu evidences be only a quarter acceptable ? It would be interesting to see which quarter will be accepted and which three-quarters will be rejected.

This 'commission' is another attempt to delay or subvert the whole process. What is there for an Indian Magistrate to say to a Pakistani court that is not there in the Judgement delivered, an authenticated copy of which is already with the Pakistanis ? If India rejects the 'Commission', then it would be another stick to beat India with. Pakistan constantly looks for such opportunities even when adversity stares at it. That is why it is such a menace.

[Chinmayanand]

How many commissions did the inbred pakis send to US for all the sacrificial lambs guboing in Guatanamo ? All pakis and cheenis need is a solid kick in their balls and GoI needs some spine.

[Raghavendra]

Rahul Bhatt named in NIA's lie-test plea? http://in.news.yahoo.com/267/20100826/1 ... est_1.html

Several Indians who were in touch with 26/ 11 accused and US national David Coleman Headley during his stay in India are once again under the scanner.

The National Investigation Agency ( NIA) suspects some of these persons may have lied to it about the nature of their interactions and relationship with Headley.

The agency now wants to subject these persons to the lie-detector, or polygraph, test. NIA director-general S. C. Sinha said the agency approached a Delhi court on Monday seeking permission for the test to be done on some persons based in Mumbai and Kerala.

"We cannot disclose any names," Sinha said.

Sources in the security establishment said filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul Bhatt, gym trainer Vilas Warak, Jogeswari resident Bashir Sheikh and certain prominent Mumbai residents, including a fashion designer, have been identified as the persons who were in regular touch with the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba agent.

Sinha, however, refused to confirm or deny if Rahul Bhatt figured among those who will have to face the polygraph test. He only said the persons were neither in jail nor in custody.

[SSridhar]

ATC, Adiala dismisses Lakhvi's Bail Plea

The Pakistanis have made a huge song & dance scene around this as a diversionary tactic to claim some sort of victory. Now, we will see this judgement being quoted to prove Pakistan judiciary's impartiality. We can easily predict what will be next in this saga. The bail application will now move to the Lahore HC which is presided over by the pro-jihadi Chief Justice Khwaja Sharif, who can be expected to release Lakhvi & others. 'Lack of evidence' has been his forte. The State will choose not to prefer an appeal against the LHC ruling in the SC. Even if it does, Iftikhar Chaudhry saheb and his colleagues can be expected not to overturn the LHC ruling. This is a prelude to throwing the main case out with the baby, bathwater and the tub.

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of seven suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks today dismissed a bail petition filed by LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan of the Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism dismissed Lakhvi’s bail application on the ground that it could not be maintained, sources said.

Lakhvi’s lawyer Khwaja Sultan, who has been accused by the prosecution of filing numerous petitions to delay the trial, told PTI that his client would not approach the Lahore High Court for bail.

“We will decide on the date for filing the application in the High Court after getting the anti-terrorism court’s detailed order,” Sultan said.

Sultan claimed that bail should be granted to Lakhvi as the prosecution had been unable to produce any solid evidence linking him to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

He contended that the prosecution’s case was based only on the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist convicted and sentenced to death by an Indian court for his role in the attacks.

The prosecution had produced five policemen who testified that Lakhvi was a top LeT commander but had been unable to give any proof linking him to the Mumbai incident, he claimed.

The prosecution had challenged the bail application, saying there was enough evidence to nail Lakhvi.

See here for a chronology of court drama in Pakistan

[SSridhar]

Citing legal hurdles, Pakistan refuses to give voice samples of 26/11 masterminds

Citing legal hurdles, Islamabad has formally communicated to New Delhi that it will not be able to part with voice samples of the Mumbai attack accused. This is a setback to Indian efforts to find out whether one of its own nationals was present in the 26/11 mission control room, directing the Lashkar-e-Toiba gunmen.

Official sources said Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik personally communicated to officials of the Ministry of External Affairs on August 25 that defence lawyers of the 26/11 accused, including Lashkar’s Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah and Abu Al Qama, have objected to recording of voice samples of their clients and the transfer of these samples to India. Under Pakistani law, consent is required for such recordings.

Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik had told Home Minister P Chidambaram, when he visited Islamabad in June, that there would be no problem in sharing voice samples with India. But last week, Malik said even the Pakistani courts were not in favour of taking voice samples.

After the Foreign Secretary-level talks in February, New Delhi had asked for voice samples of Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu Al Qama, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Yunus Anjum and Jamil Ahmed.

Riaz, Anjum and Jamil were involved in arranging finances for the 26/11 attack. Hamad paid for the purchase of a Yamaha motor for the dinghy which landed the gunmen in Mumbai.

Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving Lashkar gunman, had identified the voices of Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Sajid Mir alias Wasi Bhai and Abu Jindal aka Jindal Bhai in a communication intercept recorded during the attack. Kasab had also indicated that Jindal could be of Indian origin.

This led Indian agencies to speculate that Jindal could either be Syed Zabiuddin Ansari, born in Beed and accused in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul, or Hyderabad-born Mohammed Abdul Aziz aka Gidda who fought alongside Islamists in Bosnia and Chechnya in the 1990s.

Both Zabiuddin Ansari and Gidda figure in the Indian dossier on “terrorists based in Pakistan involved in cases in India” which was handed to Islamabad during the Foreign Secretary-level talks.

[SSridhar]

Pakistan admits that trial of 26/11 terrorists is stuck

Admitting that the trial of LeT’s Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six others charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks is “stuck”, Pakistan said on Saturday the formation of a commission to record the testimony of two key Indian witnesses is necessary to take things forward.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik - who had a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal here this morning - contended that the trial of the Pakistani suspects has run into problems over the issue of Indian witnesses testifying via video-conferencing as this is not allowed under Pakistani laws.

He said he had discussed the formation of the commission comprising “relevant officials” - which would visit India to record the statements of a magistrate and a police officer - during a recent telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart P. Chidambaram.

Mr. Chidambaram had told him that the Pakistani proposal would be “examined” when it is received, Mr. Malik told reporters after meeting Mr. Sabharwal at the Interior Ministry.

The Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trial is yet to decide on India’s proposal that the witnesses should testify via video-conferencing “and the trial is stuck,” he said.

“We want this trial to go ahead. That’s why I have proposed to India, while talking to Mr Chidambaram, that how about if we move our case to our trial court and request them to appoint a commission?” he said.

Pakistani prosecutors will approach the Rawalpindi-based trial court on Monday with a petition on forming the commission, he said. {Why is Rehman Malik doing that when ATC has not yet decided on the issue of video conferencing ?}

Though India proposed that the testimony of the two witnesses - the magistrate who recorded the confessional statement of lone surviving Mumbai attacker Ajmal Kasab and the police officer who investigated the incident - should be recorded via video conferencing, Malik said this was not permitted by Pakistani laws.

Though such video-conferencing is not allowed under domestic laws, prosecutors have made a special request to the trial court to allow Indian witnesses to testify over a video link. The anti-terrorism court is yet to decide on this issue, Mr. Malik said.

Essentially, everything that Pakistan does is to delay, dilute and finally make the trial a complete farce. One can visualize the scenario about to unfold. The ATC court may even exempt and allow a video link, based on which the trial may even proceed. There may even be a judgement by the ATC, Adiala judge. The seveners may be found guilty of some minor part in the episode and given light sentence. The seven terrorists will then appeal to the Lahore High Court which will strike down the special exemption for the video link saying such an exemption was bad in Pakistani Law and throw the whole judgement out and free the prisoners. The Punjab government, which has the responsibility to conduct the case will prefer even not to appeal to the Supreme Court. We have to realize that from the President to the lowest employee of the trial court, Pakistanis will do everything in their power to let the jihadi terrorists escape.

[SSridhar]

Pakistan not happy with the Indian dossier on Headley
One fails to understand who is the victim nation here.

"The Indian response to our queries is hardly relevant," a senior official was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

Legal experts have examined the latest Indian dossier containing answers to questions posed by Pakistani investigators on Pakistani-American national Headley.

The interior ministry had last month sent about 50 questions to Indian authorities about Headley's role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The questions related to his nine visits to India and meetings with people there. India was asked if Headley had been under surveillance during the visits.

The replies to Pakistani queries were handed over to Pakistan's high commissioner to India Shahid Malik on Friday.

There has been no official word from the government on the latest Indian dossier.

Foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said the material provided by India was still being looked into.

India had earlier dismissed Pakistan's questions on Headley, the son of a late Pakistani broadcaster and an American woman, as "delaying tactics".

[sum]

One fails to understand who is the victim nation here.

Isnt that the entire objective of the Pakis ( to blur the lines)?

IMHO, the GoI brought this misery onto itself when it decided to start with a dossier game with the Pakis instead of giving a solid jhappad and cooling off...This game of dossier-nama and Pak turning the tables on India will continue for eternity!!!

[Pranav]

Salman Khan avers Packee govt not responsible for 26/11:

Too much hype around 26/11 as the elite were targetted: Salman

.....

"Everybody knows that the Pakistani government was not behind it and it was a terrorist attack. Our security had failed. We have had lot of attacks earlier, and all of them were not from Pakistan. They were from within also."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 540601.cms

[Manish_Sharma]

Salman Khan avers Packee govt not responsible for 26/11:

Too much hype around 26/11 as the elite were targetted: Salman

.....

"Everybody knows that the Pakistani government was not behind it and it was a terrorist attack. Our security had failed. We have had lot of attacks earlier, and all of them were not from Pakistan. They were from within also."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 540601.cms

In the end, bond of religion is more important to them than the country which has helped them prosper and enjoy the life to fullest! Blooody $%*)($*%$)(*%( s!

[CRamS]

What a taritor scum bag Salma Khan is. In which self respecting country will a madar&*^d like him be idolized a hero. Thoo. What a victory for TSP. I mean, how ore pain does India have to endure?

[chetak]

What a taritor scum bag Salma Khan is. In which self respecting country will a madar&*^d like him be idolized a hero. Thoo. What a victory for TSP. I mean, how ore pain does India have to endure?

He is after all a part of the ummah. Its OK for him to kill defenseless black bucks and run over people in his SUV and bribe and lie his way out of it.

shahrukh khan did the same paki sympathy act before him and their movies will sell well among the ummah.

Whose father what goes??

[Pranav]

Salman is now beating around the bush, but he is not retracting his claims that the Packee govt is innocent:

Salman first tweeted, "Every human life has equal value n any act of terror, anywhere in the world is unpardonable. be it 9/11 or 26/11." He also said that the interview had been presented in a "wrong manner". He later said, "I gave an interview about three weeks ago. Now during this festive time of Eid and Ganesh utsav it has been twisted around and the way it is coming across on tv it is sound insensitive (sic). I was just saying that all lives are equal whether rich or poor. Some attacks may get more media coverage than the others. Why is that? I think every human being is important. Any act of terrorism (in) any part of the world is unpardonable. A terrorist has no nationality. No religion. No guts. I have and always will have faith in our intelligence agencies. I have always had faith in our armed forces and police force. I did not mean to hurt anyone's sentiments and if I have hurt anybody's sentiments I am really sorry."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 541540.cms

[Pranav]

He is after all a part of the ummah. Its OK for him to kill defenseless black bucks and run over people in his SUV and bribe and lie his way out of it.

shahrukh khan did the same paki sympathy act before him and their movies will sell well among the ummah.

Whose father what goes??

No need to generalize too much ... Aamir is a good sort, Shahrukh is borderline OK, Salman displays highly Paqui-philic tendencies.

[Sanjay M]

Aamir is anti-BJP, which says enough about him.

Meanwhile Sandeep Unnikrishnan's dad is going on a cycling tour

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 538821.cms

[CRamS]

No need to generalize too much ... Aamir is a good sort, Shahrukh is borderline OK, Salman displays highly Paqui-philic tendencies.

Come, Aamir is no saint. But I think we are giving way too much importance to these Khans, let them show their Pakiness, but what troubles me is their hero status in India.

[Mauli]

What a taritor scum bag Salma Khan is. In which self respecting country will a madar&*^d like him be idolized a hero. Thoo. What a victory for TSP. I mean, how ore pain does India have to endure?

It is self purification technique adopted by Indians i.e. more the suffering more the purification taught by you know whom.

[shiv]

What a taritor scum bag Salma Khan is. In which self respecting country will a madar&*^d like him be idolized a hero. Thoo. What a victory for TSP. I mean, how ore pain does India have to endure?

Saar the pain is yours. Not India's. Do you know who Rajnikant is? You can find out more by emailing him:
[email protected]. Rajnikant will not be @ Google. Google can be @ Rajnikant though

[CRamS]

Doc:

I know who Rajnikant is, has he also taken a nutty uber liberal anti-India position?

[shiv]

Doc:

I know who Rajnikant is, has he also taken a nutty uber liberal anti-India position?

Salman is hardly the most popular actor in India. If his words constitute victory for TSP then Indian victory should come easily by making some actor like Rajnikant say the exact opposite no? We can all be happy with the victory over TSP then.

[Ambar]

Commercial 'Khans' siding with Ummah is hardly surprising! After all,their movies always get public screening west of border.They have 170 million fans there who are not split in their loyalties, so why spoil it by siding with trivial notions like love for motherland?

I wouldn't be too surprised if Shri Salman Khan gets a 'Nishaan -e- Pakistan' next year.How ironic,Salman is half-hindu by birth.

[Raghavendra]

Mumbai 26/11 handler linked to Pune bakery blast http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed ... 99412.aspx

The man who built up the terror module that carried out the blast at Pune’s German Bakery on February 13, Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Zabi, was part of the core team of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) handlers who orchestrated the 26/11 terror attacks, according to police sources. Sources in the

Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), who requested anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, told Hindustan Times that Ansari’s name came up when the agency was interrogating 29-year-old Himayat Baig, who was arrested in Pune on September 7 for allegedly planting the bomb at German Bakery. Seventeen people were killed and 56 injured in the blast.

Ansari, also known as Abu Jindal, spoke over satellite phone to the terrorists at Chabad House in Colaba during the 26/11 terror siege to motivate them, police sources said. Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone 26/11 attacker captured alive, had told the special court that convicted him that a person named Abu Jindal had taught the 10 attackers to speak Hindi.

HT had reported on February 8 that Ansari was a double agent and the sole Indian among the handlers of the 10 terrorists, who laid a 60-hour siege to Mumbai on November 26, 2008, attacking six spots and leaving 166 people dead.

On May 10, 2006, the ATS and Intelligence Bureau seized 43 kg of RDX, 16 AK-47 rifles and 4,000 rounds of ammunition near Aurangabad based on information Ansari is believed to have given them. It turned out to be the biggest arms hauls outside of Jammu and Kashmir in 10 years. The ATS, when it announced the arms seizure, said Ansari tricked the police and escaped in a blue Indica that the police were chasing. It, however, has never explained how Ansari got away or why he was never arrested.

One of six children of an insurance agent from Gevrai in central Maharashtra, Ansari knows how security agencies work, ATS sources said.

An electrician by profession, Ansari did the wiring for the office of the Beed district police chief when it was refurbished in 2004-2005.

[chetak]

Regarding the salman khan contretemps

The following bothers me.

Salman was interviewed by Munizae Jahangir for the Face Off talk show for Pakistani Tv Channel Express News 24/7.

aunty Munizae Jahangir is the pakistani correspondent of NDTV of the burqa brigade fame.

Salman is far too illiterate to articulate any such views and in so clear a fashion. He has mentioned in one longish sentence, Indian terrorists(?), absolved the paki state, blamed Indian security for failure, claimed that the case is hyped up because of targeting of socially prominent Indian elite and moneyed class. THIS IS THE OFFICIAL PAKI LINE!!!

salman simply does not have the intellectual horsepower to collate and articulate these thoughts.
He was however a willing accomplice as many similar people in bollywood harbor a definite anti India bias.

He has been coached to say what he did. The faqer can hardly zip up his own trousers or even walk and talk at the same time.

What if any is the relationship between NDTV and the
Pakistani Tv Channel Express News 24/7??

The interview is too much of a coincidence in both the timing as well as the content. Why rehash an already cold subject in which the facts are crystal clear even though burqa and sussanah roy may harbour anti national doubts??

With the Indo pak ties in the state that they are, there seems to be an psy ops effort to negate and deny any paki state connections to 26/11.

Has NDTV done it's usual hatchet job on India using
Munizae Jahangir and our moron??

[disha]

Salman is hardly the most popular actor in India. If his words constitute victory for TSP then Indian victory should come easily by making some actor like Rajnikant say the exact opposite no? We can all be happy with the victory over TSP then.

Thanks for putting all the Rona-&-Dhona about the buck killer to an end. Could not have said it better. That guy does not deserve any more newsprint.

[disha]

Has NDTV done it's usual hatchet job on India using
Munizae Jahangir and our moron??

The only hatchet job I can think of is that they want to rile everybody and vitiate the atmosphere, that is build up anger. For what?

Otherwise bringing it up again and sticking to an extreme position (by burqas et al) actually is counter productive.

[disha]

Pakistan not happy with the Indian dossier on Headley

I think they are typically stonewalling till the next attack comes. And that will come because US will push Porkis to deliver something which it cannot so Porkis will up their nuisance value and hit back at India. It is just that when the "game" begins again, the "legalities" have to be streamlined and Porkis do not want to streamline that.

[Vikas]

I don't think Salman khan is any smarter or idiotic than rest of the Mango Indians.
Wonder what is the impact of Salman Khan's iditic statement on the earnings of his latest blockbuster "Dabaang" this week.
If people have taken serious offense to what Khan has said, We should see empty cinema halls and zero earnings at least in Mumbai otherwise "sab chalta hai"
and who cares if he mowed down few people or killed endangered species or animals.

[Manish_Sharma]

Salman is now beating around the bush, but he is not retracting his claims that the Packee govt is innocent:

Salman first tweeted, "Every human life has equal value n any act of terror, anywhere in the world is unpardonable. be it 9/11 or 26/11." He also said that the interview had been presented in a "wrong manner". He later said, "I gave an interview about three weeks ago. Now during this festive time of Eid and Ganesh utsav it has been twisted around and the way it is coming across on tv it is sound insensitive (sic). I was just saying that all lives are equal whether rich or poor. Some attacks may get more media coverage than the others. Why is that? I think every human being is important. Any act of terrorism (in) any part of the world is unpardonable. A terrorist has no nationality. No religion. No guts. I have and always will have faith in our intelligence agencies. I have always had faith in our armed forces and police force. I did not mean to hurt anyone's sentiments and if I have hurt anybody's sentiments I am really sorry."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 541540.cms

Aaj Tak and every other channel, in fact the whole media are highlighting the "rich vs poor" comment, totally blacking out the "absolving of Paki govt." comment.

[Pranav]

Aaj Tak and every other channel, in fact the whole media are highlighting the "rich vs poor" comment, totally blacking out the "absolving of Paki govt." comment.

Absolutely. What the media don't say is often more revealing (about themselves) than what they say.

Yet another demonstration of the anti-Indian nature of much of our media.

[ramana]

Anybody following the Rana case in US? Rana was the cohort of D C Headley in his recce ops in India before 26/11.

[chetak]

Aaj Tak and every other channel, in fact the whole media are highlighting the "rich vs poor" comment, totally blacking out the "absolving of Paki govt." comment.

Absolutely. What the media don't say is often more revealing (about themselves) than what they say.

Yet another demonstration of the anti-Indian nature of much of our media.

Does anybody know if undie TV covered this issue at all?

[Manish_Sharma]

^^Watched undie tv Hindi last night, they didn't at all, but kept throwing in flash of salman dancing in ganeshotsav.

[Gaurav_S]

Five new speedboats added to Mum police''s kitty

Link

Mumbai, Sept 19 (PTI) Five new speedboats were today added to the fleet of the city police for sea patrolling by Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil. The five boats are a part of the 29 speed boats purchased by the state government on a budget of Rs 150 crore. "Post 26/11 terror attack which was via the sea route, the need for a secured coastal line has increased. The central government has already provided us with 28 boats. Now an additional 29 boats have been procured by the state government," Patil told reporters. The boats, manufactured by Marine Frontiers company, can travel to a speed of up to 48 nautical miles per hour. Besides being bullet-proof, each of the boat is equipped with a radar that enables it to spot other boats in its radius and also measure the depth of the sea, a global positioning system and a marine communication device that will help it communicate with other boats. "While five boats have been delivered today, the next five are expected in November and the remaining 19 boats are likely to be handed over to the police by January 2011," Director General of Police D Sivanandan said. Aiming to have more speed boats to protect the coastline, the state government is likely to sanction Rs 150 crore in two more phases. "Policemen will be trained by the coastguard for sea firing and navigation. The city police would soon have a marine wing which would apart from police also include people living in the coastal line," the DGP added.

These boats are said to be equipped with AK-47 and LMG's.

[SSridhar]

Lakhvi's lawyers refuse to go to India as part of 26/11 probe team

"We will not go to India because of security concerns. There has been hatred among the general public against Kasab," senior advocate Khwaja Sultan, the counsel for Lashker-e-Taiba commander Lakhvi, told PTI.

Sultan noted that the lawyer of Fahim Ansari, one of the Indians accused of involvement in the Mumbai attacks, was shot dead.

"We cannot risk our lives by going to India when we are the counsel for the accused here," he said.

He claimed it would not be easy for the Indian government to provide security to the proposed commission.

"We have also conveyed this to the judge," he said. FIA's special prosecutor Chaudhry Zulifqar Ali told PTI that a defence lawyer should be part of the commission as there would be no problems related to security issues.

First of all, I have not heard of GoI conceding the Pakistani demand of a Commission to India. In any case, the above is clearly another attempt to stall the process, being played together by the prosecution and the defence together, with the prosecution insisting on a lawyer from the defence and the defence giving a flimsy excuse.

[CRamS]

Amazing that so many news reports and op ed columns in India are coming to the aid of Salman Khan, when the least they can do is publicly ostracize him for his rather cavalier remarks on what was essentially a declaration of war by TSP in Mumbai. And the slime balls only talk about his "rich Vs poor" BS and then paint detractors as intolerent of "other's opinions". If that was the only thing Salman Khan said, nobody would have cared 2 hoots. Its his rather shameful absolving of the TSP state, as if he has all the facts, is what trivilized the Mumbai evil, and thats the reason nationalists are after him; indeed any self-respecting Indian citizen ought to be.

I have a question for those who follow Bollywood more closely than I do. To what extent is Bollywood controlled by underworld mafia like Dawood who in turn are controlled by TSP ISI? I have noticed that Bollywood directors shiver in their undies at the thought of making a nationalist pro-India movie. Not one movie I have come across in the recent past showing TSP terror. Nothing about its diabolical machinations in J&K. Nothing showing the plight of pandits. These could be huge block busters, but for the fear that they might get a call from some ISI proxie in the middle of the night. Yes/no?

[Lalmohan]

the hold of the mafia over bollywood is lessening with the introduction of the global movie companies and their huge wallets. it was always about funding, the mafia provided it when others wouldn't. with the increasing professionalisation of bollywood, the gangsters have less sway. i think thats what led to the spurt in extortion demands...

on the sallu thing, others have pointed out that he's not the smartest middle aged hero on the block. my read is he made a standard non commital type of statement or tried to and has ended up displeasing some, whilst possibly mindful that somewhere along the line he has some connection with more unsavoury folks and was possibly trying to avoid getting in their bad books. unfortunately what with the various 'power brokers' in mumbai, it is impossibly for anyone to steer a clear line between them

[Raghavendra]

Video conference link in jail for Kasab underway http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 630113.cms

MUMBAI: Preparations are underway in the high security Central Prison for a video conference link to enable Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab hear proceedings in Bombay High Court pertaining to confirmation of death sentence imposed on him for his role in the 26/11 attack.

The High Court would conduct a daily hearing of the matter from October 18 and has directed the state to provide a video conference facility in the court and in the jail so that Kasab can attend proceedings without being physically present.

"We are making arrangements for a video conference facility near the cell of Kasab so that the security provided to him is not exposed to any risk," official sources said.

Already there exists a facility of video conference for prisoners in the jail but for Kasab special arrangements are being made separately so that the security measures are not compromised, they added.

In the High Court, video conference arrangement would be made by MTNL, according to Government counsel Ujjwal Nikam.

Kasab is lodged in a special high security cell which is bullet and bomb proof and is segregated from other cells in the prison. The cell has been specially constructed along with a courtroom in adjacent barrack to try anti-terror cases.

Meanwhile, the Court would hear arguments on September 28, a plea made by Kasab for an interview with his lawyers Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah "within the sight (of police) but not hearing distance".

After hearing the state and Kasab's lawyers, the High Court may pass order on this plea.

[chetak]

Amazing that so many news reports and op ed columns in India are coming to the aid of Salman Khan, when the least they can do is publicly ostracize him for his rather cavalier remarks on what was essentially a declaration of war by TSP in Mumbai. And the slime balls only talk about his "rich Vs poor" BS and then paint detractors as intolerent of "other's opinions". If that was the only thing Salman Khan said, nobody would have cared 2 hoots. Its his rather shameful absolving of the TSP state, as if he has all the facts, is what trivilized the Mumbai evil, and thats the reason nationalists are after him; indeed any self-respecting Indian citizen ought to be.

I have a question for those who follow Bollywood more closely than I do. To what extent is Bollywood controlled by underworld mafia like Dawood who in turn are controlled by TSP ISI? I have noticed that Bollywood directors shiver in their undies at the thought of making a nationalist pro-India movie. Not one movie I have come across in the recent past showing TSP terror. Nothing about its diabolical machinations in J&K. Nothing showing the plight of pandits. These could be huge block busters, but for the fear that they might get a call from some ISI proxie in the middle of the night. Yes/no?

It doesn't help that most our chocolatey hijra heroes are actively peddling the aman ke asha nonsense with an eye on their movie sales among the pious ummah. Noblesse oblige?

How do so many paki third grade actors work in India? given the animosity and difficulties in obtaining visas??

It certainly cannot be a coincidence.

This is active subversion controlled by financiers across the border.

Naturally, the one who pays the piper always calls the tune or in this case---motivated scripts.

Needless to mention that the female reporter Munizae Jahangir who so helpfully interviewed that musclebound idiot was undie TV's pakistan correspondent.

Any one for more burka like coincidences?

[chetak]

Even an idiot will not continue on the path of motivated media releases unless there is some ulterior motive or outright collusion.

The mumbai ATS is doing this once too often.

Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action.


LINK

Mumbai CB-ATS turf war spoils Delhi Police investigation
September 27, 2010 10:09:51 AM

Staff Reporter | New Delhi

Turf war between the elite Crime Branch (CB) and Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Mumbai Police is believed to have spoiled Delhi Police’s investigation into the suspected terror attack outside the historic Jama Masjid in the national Capital.

A three-member team of Delhi Police had visited Mumbai after the incident on Sunday last with some specific leads provided by the central security agencies about the e-mail and the technique used by banned Indian Mujahideen only to find that everything had been leaked to media, sources privy to the probe said.

They also found interesting developments that the operator — Tata Docomo — had been approached by the two elite forces of the Mumbai Police separately and details of the phone number were taken and were leaked to media.

The matter was shared with the Union Home Ministry, which asked the two wings of Maharashtra to maintain utmost secrecy in the matter. The Delhi Police team which had gone to investigate into the leads of the case returned empty handed because of lack of coordination, the sources said.

[ramana]

DNA reports...

Pak Spy chief told US Rogue elements in ISI involved in 26/11 attack

Pak spy chief told CIA 'rogue' ISI elements were involved in 26/11 attack
Published: Monday, Sep 27, 2010, 12:59 IST
Place: Washington, DC | Agency: PTI

Less than a month after the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan's spy agency chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha had admitted before the CIA that the terror strikes had ISI links but claimed it was not an "authorised" operation and carried out by "rogue" elements, according to a new book.

However, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) later received reliable intelligence that the ISI was directly involved in the training for Mumbai, says the book entitled Obama's War written by investigative American journalist Bob Woodward.

According to the book, the then President George W Bush during his meetings with his top aides had said that the terrorist attack on Mumbai was just like 9/11.

"President Bush called his national security team into the Oval Office as Mumbai sorted through the blood and rubble. You guys get planning and do what you have to do to prevent a war between Pakistan and India, Bush told his aides. The last thing we need right now is a war between two nuclear-power states," Woodward says in his book which hit the stands today.

Giving an insight into the thinking and actions of the Bush Administration during and immediately after the Mumbai attacks, Woodward writes that an "upset Bush asked his aides about contingency plans for dealing with Pakistan," given his policy of "zero tolerance" for terrorists and their enablers.

"This is like 9/11, he (Bush) said," Woodward wrote.

"The United States military did not have 'war' plans for an invasion of Pakistan. Instead, it had and continues to have one of the most sensitive and secret of all military contingencies, what military officials call a 'retribution' plan in the event of another 9/11-like attack on the US by terrorists based in Pakistan," the book says.

Under this plan, the US would bomb or attack every known al-Qaeda compound or training camp in the US intelligence database. "Some locations might be outdated, but there would be no concern, under the plan, for who might be living there now. The attribution plan called for a brutal punishing attack on at least 150 or more associated camps," Woodward says.

According to Woodward, within 48 hours of the Mumbai attack, the then CIA director Mike Hayden contacted Pakistan Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani.

"CIA intelligence showed no direct ISI links, Hayden told him. These are former people who are no longer employees of the Pakistani government," he wrote.

"Bush informed the Indians himself. He called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, with whom he had a strong personal relationship. My intelligence shows that the new Pakistani government is not involved, Bush said. It looked like a war had been averted for the moment," Woodward writes.

"In a call to Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the head of the Pakistani ISI, Hayden said, "We've got to get to the bottom of this. This is a big deal'," the book says.

He urged Pasha to come clean and disclose all.

On the day after Christmas, Pasha flew to the United States, where he briefed Hayden at CIA headquarters, the author writes.

"Pasha admitted that the planners of the Mumbai attacks ?" at least two retired Pakistani Army officers ?" had ISI links, but this had not been an authorised ISI operation. It was rogue. There may have been people associated with my organisation who were associated with this," Pasha said.

"That's different from authority, direction and control," Pasha is quoted as saying by Woodward.

According to Woodward, Pasha provided details that fit with the picture developed by US intelligence.

"Hayden told Bush he was convinced it was not an official Pakistani-sponsored attack, but it highlighted the problem of the sanctuaries in Pakistan. The ease of the planning and execution, the low cost, and the alarming sophistication of the communications system that LeT had used were all troubling," he said.

The author says that the Mumbai terrorists spoke with handlers back in Pakistan with satellite phones that went through a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service in New Jersey, making the calls difficult, if not impossible to trace and routed them in a way that also concealed the locations of those talking.

"The FBI was horrified by the low-cost, high-tech operation that had paralysed Mumbai. American cities were just as vulnerable. A senior FBI official responsible for thwarting similar attacks in the United States said, Mumbai changed everything," the book says.

In his book, Woodward writes that the open secret is that LeT was created and continues to be funded by the Pakistani ISI.

"The intelligence branch of the Pakistani military uses LeT to inflict pain and hardship on India, according to US intelligence. These gunmen had, quite possibly, committed an act of war," Woodward says.

What about the attackers being dropped off in PN ship and getting training in a PN facility?

As long as GOI depends on US to develop the evidenc it will alwasy be misled and dis-service to people of India. And the Indian armed forces take for ever to get ready to retaliate.

The boy scot motto was "Be Prepared".
Looks like Indian armed forces collectively unoffical motto is

"Be Unprepared!"