M A I N   N E W S

US says Kasab got fair trial

Washington, November 22
Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks who has been hanged to death, received due process of law in a full and transparent trial, the US said today, asserting that it wants to see the terrorists behind 26/11 brought to justice.

“We've said before that we welcome steps towards justice in the Mumbai attacks. We've said many times before that we want to see the terrorists behind these attacks brought to justice,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters here.

“My understanding is that he received due process in a full and transparent trial and the sentence was carried out,” Toner said in response to a question.

The Washington Post also praised the Indian Government for carrying out this execution in secrecy.

“In a country where few things remain secret, where everything is argued in public, and where courts take decades to complete trials, Kasab's swift hanging was a welcome surprise for many,” the daily said.

The 25-year-old Kasab, a Pakistani, was one of 10 gunmen who attacked Mumbai Nov 26, 2008, laying siege to the city for nearly three days. Kasab was hanged in a Pune five days before the fourth anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack that claimed 166 lives and left 300 people injured. Nine of his associates, who had sneaked into Mumbai for the three-day carnage, had been gunned down.

Kasab was hanged at a jail in Pune's Yerwada jail at 7:30 am on Wednesday, after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his appeal for mercy.

He was sentenced to death in May 2010 after he was found guilty of a string of charges, including waging war against India, murder and terrorist acts.

He appealed in the Supreme Court claiming he did not receive a fair trial, but his petition was struck down in August. During the 2008 attacks, heavily armed gunmen stormed targets in Mumbai, including luxury hotels, a Jewish centre, a hospital and a bustling train station. — Agencies

India seeks more security for its mission in Islamabad
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 22
India is learnt to have asked Pakistan to increase security at its mission in Islamabad following apprehensions of demonstrations or retaliation in the wake of the execution of Ajmar Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist from the Mumbai attack, yesterday.

The Indian High Commission is located less than a kilometre from the gate of the heavily-guarded diplomatic enclave in the heart of the Pakistani capital.

The Pakistani Taliban earlier today threatened to carry out attacks against India to avenge the hanging of Kasab. The militant group is said to be more dangerous than even the Afghan Taliban. In fact, the Pakistan Army is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the Pakistani Taliban in the area bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Late last night, a Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber struck a Shia Muslim procession, killing 23 people, at Rawalpindi, which is the military headquarters of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is located close to Islamabad.

According to informed sources in the government, it is incumbent on Pakistan to ensure that the Pakistani soil is not misused again for launching an attack on India. New Delhi believes Pakistan needs to act decisively against anti-India groups operating from its territory.

However, what has come as a surprise in New Delhi is the fact that the threat has come from the Pakistani Taliban, which has rarely commented on issues about India in the past and concentrated on fighting the Pakistani forces. Usually, it is groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT0 and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which have spewed venom against India and carried out terror strikes. The LeT had yesterday described Kasab as a ‘hero’ and said his execution would inspire other ‘fighters’ to follow his path.