‘Pak motive behind fake IDs not clear’: 26/11 prosecutor over Rakesh Maria’s ‘Hindu terror’ remark
Special Public Prosecutor in 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, Ujjwal Nikam Nikam, said that as per Kasab’s statement, Kafa, who gave military training to Kasab, told them and others that they will be given 10 fake names to misguide the police.
The special prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, Ujjwal Nikam, has said Pakistan’s plan behind giving the attackers Indian identity cards, which were proven to be fake, cannot be established.
Ujjwal Nikam’s comments came after the former commissioner of Mumbai police Rakesh Maria claimed in his memoir that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) wanted to project the Mumbai terror attacks as a case of “Hindu terror” and Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab as Bengaluru-based Samir Dinesh Chaudhari.
Rakesh Maria has written ‘Let Me Say It Now’ that if everything went according to the plans of the Pakistan-based terror outfit, Kasab would have died as Chaudhari and the media would have blamed “Hindu terrorists” for the attack.
The former senior policeman also claimed that fake identity cards with Indian addresses were given to the 26/11 terrorists. Maria’s detailed account of the attacks, released on Monday, has created a flutter.
“I do not know what was the plan of ISI. After the 26/11 terror attacks, 10 ID cards were produced in the court in which one was of Kasab and others belonged to nine other attackers who were killed,” Nikam has been quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
“These were fake ID cards. It is true that Hindu name was written on those ID cards. But Ajmal Kasab made statements in the Mumbai court that they have those fake ID cards,” he said.
Nikam said according to Kasab’s statement, Kafa, who gave military training to Kasab, told him and others that they will be given 10 fake names to misguide the police.
“We have also proved this in court. But what was the intention of Pakistan behind this was not known to Kasab. But the evidence was clear that the ID cards were fake,” added Nikam.
Nikam also commented on whether it was Pakistan’s plan to put the blame for the 26/11 attacks on Hindus.
“This is about inference but I don’t make an estimation as I am a student of law. It is true that Pakistan ISI’s connection with LeT is established in the 26/11 terror attack,” he said according to ANI.
“This was also cleared with David Headley’s statements. Even Kasab said that some army personnel were present in his training camp but it cannot be established what Pakistan wants to show,” he said.
Ten heavily-armed terrorists of Pakistan-based LeT carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks from on November 26, 2008, lasting four days across Mumbai.
Hundred and sixty-six people were killed and more than 300 injured as the LeT terrorists targeted the city’s landmark places such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai Chabad House, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Palace and Tower, Leopold Cafe among others, in attacks which lasted till November 29.
Nine of the attackers were killed by police, while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was captured and hanged after a trial in India.
The mastermind of the 26/11 attacks Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi is the operations commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and is among the seven LeT suspects facing charges of planning and executing the attack since 2009.
Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of a four-day militant attack on Mumbai in 2008, was arrested in July last year on terrorism financing charges.
Saeed was put under house arrest by Pakistani authorities in 2017 and later released after being cleared of charges against him, drawing strong criticism from the US and India.