Pak Court’s Indictment …… Belated but not bad
(Madan Menon Thottasseri)
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On the eve of the first anniversary of Mumbai Attacks, a Pakistani Court formally indicted seven 26/11 terror conspirators including the LeT Commander Sakiur Rehman Lakhvi, with planning and organizing to execute the terror assault. The other six suspects included Hammad Amin Shah who co-ordinated the financing of the terror attack and Zarar Shah, a computer network specialist.
Mumbai attack had disrupted the relations between India and Pakistan and it deteriorated further when Pakistan blatantly denied any connection. India suspended the peace talks and demanded for bringing the plotters to justice.
The Indian and foreign investigators have identified that the mastermind behind the attacks was Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, one of the main founders of LeT. Pakistan government never bothered to take any action against him stating that there is no enough evidence against him, except placed him under house arrest and left him free by June,2009. Saeed is now heading a new Organisation, Jammat-Ud-Dawa (JuD), a Charity widely seen as a front for LeT.
The Charges against the seven suspects will be a crucial test for Pakistan’s intentions for Peace and the will to pursue the case to dismantle terrorism.
While the court rejected bail pleas of some of the accused, it declared 16 people including crew of the two boats that ferried the terrorists to Mumbai, as offenders. It also separated the case of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist caught by Mumbai Police for the other accused. The court scheduled the next hearing on 05 December, 2009.
A defense lawyer distinguished the prosecution’s argument as weak and some what fictitious! According to him, the charges are not supported by witness testimony and documentary evidence and were framed upon pressure from external forces.
It is a fact that the criminal justice system in Pakistan is weak right from the very beginning. It will be difficult to persuade anybody to take a stand against the scary militant group and even if prosecutors win to get one, there will be intimidation from different corners.
Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh who is Washington on an official visit welcomed the news of Pakistan Court’s charging of suspects, but said the Pakistan could do more to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism. He reiterated that India will not rest till Pakistan brings all perpetrators of the carnage to justice. He hopped that the pressure exerted on Islamabad by U.S and other nations would finally work.
The Prime Minister while sending his message on behalf of the nation to affected families of victims of Mumbai attacks that every body in India share their grief with a heavy heart, commented that no one will forget the suffering the families have gone through and our thoughts are with them as they pray for their loved ones.
Pakistan should change here afterwards as the current hearing indicted seven persons including the commander of LeT for the Mumbai attack. The timing of the decree will get place in the history for the belated action but let it be noted for an excellent deviation of Pakistan’s stance on Peace, Justice and Internationalism.
Pakistan must move forward to gracefully handover all the 20 terrorists including Hafiz Sayeed, the founder of LeT who is now heading JuD, the new charity Organisation in disguise. It will free the nation gripped under the terror-mafia and will open new vistas for peaceful relationship with India.
It is to be noted that LeT had a free run all these years as it was nurtured by the Pak regime itself, indoctrinated people by conducting campaigns against India and openly recruited in college campuses during 1990s until stopped after the 11/September/2001 U.S attacks.
India will be naturally sceptical on the hearings at makeshift court in Rawalpindi in the detention centre. As the trial was videoed, can India demand for viewing the same? Now Pakistan says that it has discontinued support to LeT and only certain splinter groups are operating as scoundrel militants! The pace at which the regime is defeating them cast doubt whether they have really distanced from LeT or not.
Our legal experts have to answer this…… India is exchanging evidence through ministries instead of law enforcing agencies. Will it complicate trials in Pakistan?
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