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Hafiz Saeed’s release by Pak atrocious: PC

New Delhi, September 6
On the eve of his visit to the US, Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram has termed as "atrocious" Pakistan's decision to let off Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in the Mumbai terror attacks case and said there was "enough and more" evidence to continue the probe against him.

Chidamabaram also said India had never ruled out the involvement of state actors in Pakistan in the 26/11 carnage despite Islamabad's contention to the contrary. "There is enough and more evidence to continue the investigation against Hafiz Saeed. On the face of this evidence, to let him off, I think, is atrocious," he said during an interview to an electronic news channel.

Asked if he would raise with Washington the need to weigh upon Islamabad that it had to act against Saeed, Chidamabaram said: "If there is an opportunity, I will take them through the sixth dossier. It has already been shared with many countries-16, including the US.”

"So they know what we have but if there is an opportunity, I will certainly walk them through the dossier to point out that there is enough evidence (against him)," the Home Minister, who will be paying a four-day visit to the US beginning Tuesday, said.

To a question that Saeed was accompanied by one ‘Major General Saab' during a meeting with Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab and other Mumbai terror attack accused at a training camp and possible links of the Pakistan army, he said: “Well, that can only be revealed by investigation.”

"We have never ruled out (involvement of) state actors. Though Pakistan has maintained that only non-state actors were involved, we have never ruled out the involvement of state actors and we have never accepted this distinction between state actors and non-state actors because both operated from Pakistani soil," he said.

On if the official establishment in Pakistan was “somewhere” involved in “covering up” the probe, he said: "Covering up is a very strong word. But there is for some strange reason, unwillingness to take the investigations forward. What they told common friendly countries, what they told our Prime Minister, is that they will spare no effort to prosecute and punish the perpetrators. In the light of that, letting off Hafiz Saeed is unacceptable.”

"I don't know who else is involved. There is a 'Major General Saab' for example. Therefore, unless there is a proper investigation, I'm not in a position to say that Pakistan intends to keep its promise and why they are unwilling to take the investigation forward."

Asked if the sixth dossier on the Mumbai strikes to Pakistan would be the last one, the Minister said: "How can I say? If they invent more questions, I will continue to answer them, (but) over a growing sense of frustration." He also said after a point the dossiers will be a "charade, but I don't want to give them any quarter to say that answers are not forthcoming and, therefore, we are not investigating." — PTI

26/11
PC to take up Pak’s inaction with US
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
Collaboration between Indian and USA to curb Pakistan from allowing cross-border terrorism will be topmost on the agenda of Home Minister P Chidambaram during his four-day visit to Washington and New York beginning Tuesday.

This will be his first visit to the US since he took over as Home Minister after the Mumbai attacks in November last year. Chidambaram’s visit is crucial from the perspective of Indo-US ties. Apart from discussing with the American establishment international terrorism, he will also talk about Pakistan’s inaction against perpetrators of Mumbai attacks. The Home Minister will also carry forward the dialogue with USA with regard to assessment of the security situation in South Asia, including curbing terror infrastructure in Pakistan.

Home Ministry officials said Chidambaram will meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and National Security Advisor James Jones besides key officials of US intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This will be Chidambaram's second foreign trip after taking over as Home Minister last December. Last month, he went to Bhutan.

He had to cancel his proposed January visit to the US after the 26/11 terror strikes and then to handle the situation arising out of the agitation by truck operators and officers of oil companies.