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Five judges shifted, prosecutor killed; trial drags on
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MATTERS MILITARY
PF scam: Court frames charges against six retired judges
Battle of ballot in 5 states
In Delhi, Badal bats for secularism
guest column
Rape-murder sparks mass protests in Assam
Kanchi seers acquitted in murder case
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15 dossiers, clinching evidence, but Pak still in denial
New Delhi, November 27 Even five years after the carnage that shook the world’s conscience, the trial of the seven accused is progressing at snail’s pace, raising deep suspicion in India about Pakistan’s sincerity to take the case to its logical conclusion. New Delhi says it has given 15 dossiers to Pakistan to prove the complicity of Pakistani nationals in the brazen attacks that killed 166 persons. Five more key documents were given to the Pakistani authorities last month, completing the full list of documents sought by the neighbouring country to proceed with the trial. These dossiers contain clinching evidence about the role played by Pakistan-based groups and agencies in carrying out the carnage. There are transcripts of the conversations between the terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan and directions to terrorists from the Pakistani side such as 'put the hotel on fire' and warnings such as 'soldiers are about to launch attacks'. India also shared these dossiers with 15 countries, whose nationals were killed in the attacks, to put international pressure on Islamabad. But Pakistan’s obdurate refusal to pay more than lip service to cooperation on 26/11 over the past five years has given India reason enough to believe Islamabad would remain in a state of denial. The sense in South Block is that Pakistan would continue to use terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) against India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. Ergo, action against the men who run these organisations would obviously turn them against the Pakistani establishment. Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed, named main plotter of the attacks by New Delhi, roams about freely in Pakistan, issuing threats against India on a regular basis. Instead of putting him behind bars, the government of Pakistan’s Punjab province, headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shahbaz, recently allocated millions of rupees in its budget for the 2013-14 fiscal for the largest centre of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa considered a front for Lashkar. Lashkar operatives Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum were arrested in Pakistan in December 2008 for planning, financing and executing the Mumbai strikes. A case was formally registered against them in February 2009. However, the case has made little headway. If news reports are to be believed, Lakhvi and his accomplices freely move in and out of Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. Their friends and families frequently visit them in prison. What is more disturbing for New Delhi is that the sluggish pace of the trial has prompted the seven accused to ask their lawyers to approach the Islamabad High Court and seek bail, contending that the authorities have failed to establish their role in the attacks despite their being in detention for five years. The anti-terror court has seen more adjournments than hearings with the judge being changed at least five times. Despite the sense of hurt and injustice in India, Pakistan continues to invent excuses to delay the trial.
Enough proof in 280 phone calls
Facts that Pak continues to ignore
rogue gallery
Born Daood Sayed Gilani, Headley (L) is a Pakistani-American citizen from Chicago and was a follower of Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed. He lived in the US and came to India four times to scout for targets in Mumbai and feed their GPS coordinates in hand-held devices that were later used by terrorists to home in to targets. Rana lived in Canada and his travel agency was used by Headley to open an office in Mumbai to act as cover. The Indian National Investigation agency has questioned them and culled out some crucial leads. Status: Both arrested by the FBI in the US and declared guilty
The Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder has been named both by the US and India for plotting the attacks. Abu Jundal has said he asked him about the places to be attacked in Mumbai. In April 2012, the US declared a $10 million bounty on him. His so-called NGO, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, receives funding from the Pakistan Punjab Government. Status: Walks free in Pakistan
He was among those present in the special control room in Karachi from where the attacks were monitored and directed. Was chosen to train the 10 LeT men who sailed into Mumbai in Hindi and the customs followed by Mumbaikars. Specific Hindi words in the recorded transcripts were his. Was arrested in Saudi Arabia with a Pakistani passport. India provided DNA samples of his family in India to prove his identity. Status: Lodged in a prison in India
Lashkar and six others -- Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum -- have been charged with planning, financing and executing the 26/11 strike and are facing trial. Status: Arrested, lodged in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail
Illyas Kashmiri, Sajid Mir, Abu Qahafa, Abu al Qama and Major Iqbal (a Pak Army Major) All named conspirators in the US court that heard the case of the Headley-Rana duo. Kashmiri, a top Al-Qaida linked militant, and a key planner behind the Mumbai attacks, is believed to have been killed in US drone strike
in South Waziristan. Status: Kashmiri killed, others walk free in Pakistan
Major General Sahib This man mentioned often in telephonic intercepts indicates that senior functionaries in the Pakistani Army and its subsidiary, the ISI, knew about the attacks. Status: Not known
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Five judges shifted, prosecutor killed; trial drags on
New Delhi, November 27 As a sporadic blame game continues between India and Pakistan, New Delhi, at this stage, is clearly helpless and can do no more to spur Islamabad to take action. In the past three days, Defence Minister AK Antony and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde have made separate demands to Pakistan, asking it to take action and stated that "relevant proof was with Pakistan". Both countries refute each other on the matter. India does not agree with Pakistan's claim that "non-state actors" carried out the attack and has provided evidence against more than a dozen people, including Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Jamaat-Ud-Dawa. Pakistan questions the veracity of the evidence and the case drags on in courts in that country. "It may take years for a verdict and even then masterminds like Hafiz Saeed and Sajid Mir will escape as they are not facing trial," said a senior functionary. Despite evidence provided by India and the US, Pakistan has not even booked main players such as Saeed and Mir, who are clearly connected to the ISI. Pakistan maintains non-state actors carried out the attacks while India blames Islamabad for arresting fringe players while the real culprits are free. India has pointed out that the LeT control room from where the handlers directed the Mumbai attackers was operating from the high-security upscale defence-dominated area in Karachi. Tahawwur Rana and David Coleman Headley have already told the US about the role of the ISI and named a few people. In what is a painfully slow judicial dispensation, which Indian officials suspect is a delaying tactic, five judges have been changed. Chaudhary Zulfikar Ali, the chief public prosecutor of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency, was assassinated by terrorists in June. He was the main public prosecutor. Only 18 of the 137 witnesses have been examined so far, indicating it will be a long haul. Indian teams following the case have reported back that the prosecution has failed to even compile and provide the complete list of witnesses they want cross-examined. The case is at present in its 'evidence stage' it will be followed by other judicial processes or framing of charges and cross-examination of some witnesses. Surely, an appeal in higher courts there will follow. The case is on in Pakistan since February 2009. Hearings had been shifted from the special court in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail to the Anti-Terror Court in Islamabad. Two judicial commissions from Pakistan have visited India. The Rawalpindi court rejected the first one’s report saying it had "no legal value" as the panel was not allowed to cross-examine witnesses during its Mumbai visit. India allowed one more Pakistan commission to visit in September. New Delhi allowed the eight-member team to cross-examine witnesses. The matter is yet to come up before the judge.
Hearing postponed again
Islamabad: The hearing in the Mumbai attacks case in Pakistan against seven accused, including LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, was on Wednesday postponed to December 4 after the prosecution team failed to turn up to cross-examine a witness. “The hearing was postponed after the prosecution team moved an application citing inability to appear,” Raja Rizwan Abbasi, the new lawyer of the accused said. PTI
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A monument being revived St Paul’s Church located in Ambala Cantonment, which was bombed and damaged on September 20, 1965 during the Indo-Pak war, is in for a facelift. The Church building, which suffered extensive damage when bombed by Pakistani aircraft, is visited by many tourists as a war monument. Recently, the IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne discussed the matter of its restoration with the Union Minister, Kumari Selja, during his visit to Ambala Air Force Station earlier this month. The minister has sanctioned an amount of Rs 1.36 crore for restoration of the bombed church to its original form by the Archaeological Survey of India. One of the oldest churches in India, it was built by British engineers in 1855. It is believed that British officers took shelter in the Church during the mutiny of 1857. British troops reportedly used to pray at the Church before going on military campaigns. Antony’s plain-speak Though it is more than three months since the Submarine, INS Sindhurakshak went down following explosions within the vessel, it is yet to be salvaged from the deep sea bed. Efforts are reportedly underway to zero-in on the lowest bidder to pull out the vessel, which was a Kilo-class submarine. Harsh memories of the lost submarine came to the fore last week when Defence Minister AK Antony told the top Naval Commanders that Nation's resources cannot be frittered away in the manner in which the incident happened. The final report of the inquiry has yet to identify the cause behind the explosions and subsequent sinking of the vessel. Curiously, there were some attempts to drop the relevant part of the speech from the official press release but it remained on the insistence of the Minister. Army Chief’s farewell to retiring officers November 26 was a very special day for the Army officers who were retiring. For the past six months, the Indian Army Chief, General Bikram Singh has been personally saying good bye to retiring officers. In the Army, officers retire at an early age depending upon their rank. General Bikram Singh, at the end of month, invites all those are to retire to South Block in New Delhi and spends time with them, handing them papers of their post-retirement benefits before listening to each of them patiently on what can be done to improve the Army. Some officers, especially those retiring as Colonels are overwhelmed for they never had a chance to a one-to-one meeting with their Chief during their career. So far some 300 officers have met the Chief. 8 Mahar remembers its gallant men November 25 is observed as the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) Day by 8 Mahar, in remembrance of Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran, the only PVC recipient from the Indian Peace Keeping Force intervention in Sri Lanka in 1980s. Maj Parameswaran was commanding a company when he learnt of LTTE occupying the village. He encircled the militants and during hand-to-hand combat, was shot in the chest. Undaunted, he snatched the rifle from a militant and shot him. Though critically wounded he continued to give orders until he died. When the ambush was cleared, five militants were found dead. As part of 54 Infantry Division, 8 Mahar had been deployed in Jaffna. A month earlier, another 8 Mahar officer, Maj PS Ganpathy was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra for his dare-devilery. Three others, including Captain Sunil Chander, were awarded the Vir Chakra. No politics, please For more than seven years that AK Antony has been the Defence Minister, he has studiously kept his political affiliations away from the ministry. He refuses to even take questions from journalists on politics when he is attending Defence Ministry functions. At a recent function a senior journalist asked Antony if he would be the Defence Minister next year after the May 2014 general elections. Antony’s answer was, “ I am there or not means nothing. The Ministry will continue individuals do not matter. I am Congressman outside this ministry but will not allow any politics inside it”. Though Antony holds an important position in the Congress party, he is very particular in segregating his political life and his role as Defence Minister. During his political visits, as per instructions no military protocol is extended. (KV Prasad, Ajay Banerjee, Vijay Mohan)
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PF scam: Court frames charges against six retired judges
Ghaziabad, November 27 Special CBI Judge AK Singh on Monday framed charges against six retired judges - RP Mishra, RP Yadav, AK Singh, RS Choubey, RN Mishra and Arun Kumar- who were district judges of Ghaziabad between 2001 and 2008. CBI public prosecutor B K Singh said that these retired judges have been framed under various sections of the IPC and under Section 13 (2) read with 13(1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. — PTI
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with general election 2014 only a few months away...  Rajasthan 200
Madhya Pradesh 230 Chhattisgarh 90
Mizoram 40
Cong in power play mode Summons 60 MLAs, 400 workers from states to woo voters in Delhi Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 27 Caught in a triangular contest for the first time, the incumbent Congress is playing the regional card to the hilt to win the city state for the fourth term. Not only has it undertaken an extensive exercise to figure out the regional composition of all the 70 Assembly segments here, it has also handpicked top regional leaders to engage the voters thus identified. Picture this: To tap the Malda and Murshidabad-based Bengali voters inhabiting Delhi slums, the Congress is banking on its six-term MLA from Bengal Samar Mukherjee, a confidante of former Congress crisis manager and now President Pranab Mukherjee. The Ratua MLA from Malda has also been made in charge of Jangpura segment from where Congress’ sitting MLA Tarwinder Marwah is locked in a tough contest with the BJP. The seat has sizeable Bengali population. Overall 10 per cent of Delhi’s population is Bengali. To woo Himachalis, Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh has been made a star campaigner alongside Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna. Virbhadra will address a rally in Delhi tomorrow. Meanwhile, Congressmen from Shimla and Hamirpur have spread across Delhi in areas with Himachali domination. General secretary of the Shimla Congress, Sanjeev Kuthiala, was busy all day today tapping the Himachali families in Una Enclave Colony of Patparganj. “Una Enclave has many Himachali families. My colleagues are visiting other areas where Himachalis live,” Kuthiala said. Himachal Congress spokesperson Deepak Sharma has been asked to campaign in Madhipur segment. Apart from over 60 MLAs summoned from Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, UP and Bihar (to woo regional voters), the Congress has assigned the door-to-door campaign task to over 400 state-level workers (maximum 75 from Haryana). Hooda’s rally is already planned for November 30. “Haryana leaders are very important given border segments with the state,” said an AICC functionary. Congress leaders admitted that such region-based micro-management was being done for the first time to ensure that the last voter was reached. Other star campaigners from the region include Union Minister Kumari Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh, Haryana minister Randeep Surjewala and MPs Ashok Tanwar and Avtar Bhadana. From Punjab, the Congress’ star campaigners are state Congress chief Partap Bajwa and former Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh. Several Punjab Congress leaders including spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira are in Delhi canvassing in Punjabi-dominated segments like Tilak Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Kalkaji, Hari Nagar and Shahadra. Regional leaders in big roles The Congress has deputed seven leaders from different states to look after seven parliamentary constituencies of Delhi. Among them is Sangrur MP Vijayinder Singla handling West Delhi Lok Sabha segment with 10 assembly seats and Nurpur MLA from Himachal Ajay Mahajan made in charge of North West Delhi in addition to New Delhi assembly segment from where CM Sheila Dikshit is contesting. Star campaigners from region Union Social Justice Minister Kumari Selja, Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh, Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna, Punjab Congress chief Partap Bajwa, Punjab ex-CM Capt Amarinder Singh, Haryana Industry Minister Randeep Surjewala, Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana Birender Singh, Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar and Faridabad MP Avtar Bhadana.
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In Delhi, Badal bats for secularism
New Delhi, November 27 Addressing a rally at Hari Nagar assembly constituency from where SAD candidate Shyam Sharma is contesting, Badal asked the voters to elect BJP government in Delhi and then at the Centre where Narendra Modi would be the Prime Minister. “Delhi is heart of the country. So first change the heart, then the entire body”, said Badal at Hari Nagar where a large number of audience gathered this evening. The Congress has been ruling the country for the past 67 years. But this party is not considering development as an important issue. The Congress has given slogan, “Congress ka haath, garib ke saath”, but so far not a single scheme has been implemented for the betterment of the poor. Badal said India was a country of sufis and saints and is full of natural resources. “We have a lot of water in our rivers. Still the Delhi government has been increasing power tariff and water bills. Citizens of Delhi have a number of complaints of inflated water bills”, he said. Crime graph of Delhi has gone so high that now it is known as crime capital. The Congress has been running its government in Delhi for the last 15 years. When it cannot solve the problems of Delhi citizens in such a long time, how can it do so in the next five years? Now, the BJP is the only party that deserves to lead Delhi. It will change the entire face of the national Capital by doing development work. Badal blamed the Congress for terrorism. The SAD has given ticket to a Hindu from Hari Nagar with an idea to promote communal harmony in the country. There is no difference among Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and a Christian. “We are all human beings”, Badal said. Appreciating the BJP manifesto in Delhi, Badal said the saffron party had assured to get punished those who were suspected in 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He said if the BJP was voted to power in Delhi, all the demands of Sikhs and other minorities like Punjabi and Urdu language teaching problems will be worked out. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who also spoke on the occasion, said by giving ticket to a Hindu from Hari Nagar, Badal had laid foundation of Hindu-Sikh unity in Delhi. Same he had done in Punjab when about nine non-Sikhs were given tickets by the SAD. Others who spoke on the occasion were senior SAD leader BS Ramoowalia and national vice-president of the BJP, Smiriti
Irani.
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New Pak army chief’s acid test: India, Afghan policies
Nasim Zehra Today Pakistan's army chief general Parvez Ashfaq Kayani completes his six-year term, having given an extension by the previous government. He leaves office as Gen Raheel Sharif takes over as the new army chief. With the Prime Minister having given his approval for the new Chief Justice of Pakistan with the current one retiring on December 12, today marks a special moment for Pakistanis. Having weathered endless political storms, including several military coups, finally in 2013 at age 66, Pakistan completes its first-ever democratic transition involving changeover in all key posts according to the Constitution. Gen Sharif has superceded two generals - Haroon Aslam and Rashad Mahmood. General Aslam has retired and General Mahmood has been named as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. According to the Constitution, the Prime Minister has to choose the chief from among the serving lieutenant generals. The practice has been to appoint from the senior-most group. Nawaz appointed Gen AW Kakar in 1993, eighth in seniority and Gen Pervez Musharraf in 1998, third in seniority. Both army chiefs sent Nawaz packing. This time, Nawaz has undoubtedly sought to not just look at the professional capabilities, but also the reliability factor. An experienced soldier General Raheel Sharif trained in Pakistan, UK and Canadian military academies and comes with a range of command and instruction experience. Commissioned in 1976 in the 6th battalion, The Frontier Force Regiment, the new chief has commanded the Gujranwala Corps, 11th Infantry Division in Lahore and two brigades. He has been Commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy and an instructor in the National Defense University. Gen Sharif belongs to a military family and his elder brother Major Shabbir Sharif died during the 1971 war with India. Despite the common surname, Raheel Sharif is not related to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but is known to be close to tribal affairs minister Lieutenant-General Abdul Qadir Baloch, a key confidante of the Sharif family. As a brigadier, he has commanded two infantry brigades including an independent infantry brigade group. Democracy triumphs Ever since 2007, Pakistan's democratic process that got a resounding vote of commitment by the people during the 2007 lawyer's movement, the chances of the man on the horseback have become weaker. The 2013 elections were fought against the backdrop of terrorist threats, but saw the largest voter turnout in country's history. Pakistan completed its first-ever democratic transition of power in 2013 with both elected PMs and President complete their full five-year terms and be replaced by ones elected in 2013. The questions around the selection of the new army chief are not about his being a potential coup-maker but more about how he will orient the institution he leads on three key areas. One, the fight against terrorism, and linked to that, the army's distancing itself from the militant groups. Both are work-in-progress with the previous chief having tried to deal with these issues in a gradualist mode. The issue of drone strikes, too, is one that now needs a major internal review. Second, how to interface with India, an area where troubles do not seem to end with the LoC on the boil and yet the elected Prime Minister remaining committed to enhancing ties with India. Only yesterday the Prime Minister called for visa-free travel. The third question is: how does Pakistan proceed in Afghanistan both on the political reconciliation and the transition beyond 2014? Afghanistan factor Prime Mnister Sharif is clear that trust-building with Kabul, irrespective of who sits there, is in Pakistan's interest. In the last weeks the PM himself has led the Pakistan effort to improve the trust level with Kabul. The PM leaves later this week for Kabul. Clearly, he will take Pakistan's new military chief along. Nawaz has a plan for course correction of Pakistan's security policies. He is reportedly confident that his new chief, who he picked from Number 3, in seniority, will embrace the policy that the country's elected chief executive proposes. Having set up the institutional framework for comprehensive consultations and policy making the Cabinet Committee on National Security and Foreign policy, the Prime Minister believes he will oversee the policy-making and policy execution process and avoid any independent moves by the military leadership. (The writer is a Pakistani anchor and columnist)
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Rape-murder sparks mass protests in Assam
Guwahati, November 27 The woman had reportedly boarded a shared tempo to pick up her six-year-old daughter from the school on Friday afternoon. Around 2-3 hours later, she was found dumped by the roadside in an unconscious state. She was allegedly raped by four men inside the tempo before they gorged out her eyes, injured her on the head and neck, the FIR claimed. Some local people saw the men throwing her out of the tempo, about 50 m away from the Boginadi police station on the national highway following which they informed the police. The woman was taken to a local hospital from where she was referred to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. She succumbed to her injury on Sunday, triggering massive protests. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has dashed a notice to the Assam Police to "respond" within 24 hours and arrest the culprits. The commission has also called for swift legal action in the case. "It sends a wrong message to society, and we demand the arrest of culprits as soon as possible. The CM should set up an inquiry in the matter," NCW member Nirmala Samant said. A senior police official said the post-mortem report was still being awaited to ascertain the actual cause of death of the woman. The police today picked up a person for interrogation in connection with the incident. (with PTI inputs)
The beastly act
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Kanchi seers acquitted in murder case
Puducherry, November 27 Principal District and Sessions Judge CS Murugan declared that all the 23 accused out of 24 stood acquitted of the charges against them as "there is no incriminating evidence against the accused". — PTI
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As many as 166 persons were killed when 10 Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists carried out the audacious terror attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 after coming from Karachi via the sea route. While nine terrorists were killed in the ensuing
gunbattle, Ajmal Kasab (pic) was caught alive. After a long trial, he was hanged on November 21, 2012 in Pune's Yerwada Central Jail
David Coleman Headley & Tahawwur Rana
Hafiz Saeed
Abu Jundal alias 
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi
