The Hindu : Front Page : Special court issues NBW against Hafiz Saeed, 21 others

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Special court issues NBW against Hafiz Saeed, 21 others

Staff Reporter

Most of the accused found mention in the confessional statement of Ajmal

Hafiz Saeed

Mumbai: The Special Sessions Court trying the Mumbai terror attacks case on Tuesday issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) against 22 of the 35 wanted accused, including Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who was released in Pakistan recently.

Judge M.L. Tahaliyani granted the prosecution plea on the ground that most of the accused found mention in the confessional statement of lone captured terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir ‘Kasab.’ Other pieces of evidence include phone records of CallPhonex. Besides, the accused were charged with conspiring to wage a war against the government of India.

“Almost all are citizens of Pakistan or are at least residing in that country,” the court noted on the basis of the addresses provided by the prosecution.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam referred to Ajmal’s statement to cite the involvement of the 22 accused in the conspiracy. Most of them were shown to have played the role of trainers.

Saeed was a professor, who led the JuD and visited a training camp before 26/11, Mr. Nikam told the court.

Zaki-Ur-Rehaman Lakhvi was the operation commander, Abu Hamza the training in-charge, Abu Al Kama and Muzammil the area commanders, Zarar Shah in-charge of the publicity wing and Abu Mufti Saeed the president of the Muridke training camp.

The money trail led to Mohammad Ishfak, who paid $250 in the name of Kharak Singh. Javid Iqbal’s imprint was seen in transactions done through the Western Union Money Transfer.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) records showed the name of a Col. R. Saadat Ullah.

Abu Kaahfa, Abdul Rehaman Chota, Abu Abdur Rehman, Abu Fahad Ullah, Abu Anas, Abu Bashir, Abu Imran, Abu Umar Saeed, Sajid Iftikhar, Khurram Shahdad, Abu Mavia, and Abu Hanjila Pathan were the remaining accused against whom warrants were issued.

The addresses of the conspirators spanned the provinces of Punjab and the North West Frontier Province. The locations included Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Lahore, Muridke, Mansehra, Multan, Peshawar and Rawalpindi. Saeed hailed from Lahore’s Johar town.

Mr. Nikam had sought warrants for 27 persons, but the roles of five were not clearly defined.

The Judge, therefore, allowed the prosecution the liberty to move a fresh application for NBWs in the light of newer evidences.

The 22 warrants will be addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, and the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation for execution. The CBI’s Interpol wing will then coordinate with Interpol, Pakistan, and seek its help to arrest and produce the accused before the court.

In this regard, the court remarked, “How much will Interpol, Pakistan, help?”

Mumbai Terror-Comprehensive Coverage

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