Pakistan will not act on the request for legal aid by Ajmal Amir Iman, the lone gunman captured for the Mumbai attacks, unless it is proved that he is a Pakistani national, interior ministry chief Rehman Malik has said.
As lawyers distance themselves from defending Ajmal Amir Iman Kasab in court, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that the terrorist caught during the Mumbai attacks will get a fair trial."Of course, in India everybody will get a fair trial," Mukherjee told PTI when asked whether Kasab should be given a fair trial."Every person in India who is accused or prosecuted is entitled to have a fair trial," he said.
Kasab's letter has been forwarded by the Mumbai police to the External Affairs and the Union Home Ministries for necessary action, Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria told media persons in Mumbai on Saturday.
Pakistani authorities on Wednesday registered a case against Ajmal Amir Iman Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive during the Mumbai attacks, and 13 others in connection with the terror strikes. The case was registered on the basis of the probe conducted by the Federal Investigation Agency and the decision made by the Defence Committee of the Cabinet during its meeting on Monday, TV channels quoted unidentified sources as saying.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian national accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has been extradited to India from the United States. Rana's interrogation is expected to shed light on the role of Pakistani state actors in the attacks, which claimed 166 lives. Indian authorities are particularly interested in his travels across India in the days leading up to the attacks, including visits to Hapur, Agra, Delhi, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai. Rana's extradition follows a lengthy legal battle, with the US Supreme Court ultimately denying his application to challenge it. Rana is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks. The investigation into the Mumbai attacks has implicated senior members of terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul Jihadi Islami (HuJI), as well as officials from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Tahawwur Rana, accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is expected to be extradited to India from the United States soon. The US Supreme Court denied his last-ditch effort to stop his extradition, moving him closer to being handed over to Indian authorities. Rana's extradition is expected to help probe agencies expose the role of Pakistani state actors behind the attacks and shed new light on the investigation. He is associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Iman Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the November 26 terror attacks in Mumbai, on Tuesday once again asked for consular access and legal aid from Pakistan, a top police official said.He sought legal aid for the second time and has been informed that his letter requesting consular access earlier has been handed over to the Pakistan High Commission.Kasab was, earlier in the day, remanded to further police custody till January 19.
"We are not yet sure when to ask for consular access. We may not ask for it. He is involved in a heinous crime," an unnamed senior official told the Dawn newspaper.
A top Pakistani official has sought to doubt the authenticity of the letter written by Ajmal Amir Iman Kasab, the lone gunman captured for the Mumbai terror attacks, to seek legal aid from the Pakistan government.Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah claimed the language and content of the letter did not "match those of a real Pakistani".Questioning the authenticity of the letter written by Iman alias Ajmal Kasab, Shah repeated interior ministry chief Rehman Malik's contention.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was brought to India on Thursday after being "successfully extradited " from the US, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said. The 64-year-old Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin landed in Delhi in a special plane on Thursday evening, ending days of speculation of when and how he will be extradited, officials said. The NIA said in a statement that it had secured the successful extradition after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring to justice the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem that claimed 166 lives. Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the the three-day terror siege of India's financial capital.
'Will this near-war, India's strongest military response so far, buy India another seven years of deterrence?' asks Shekhar Gupta.
The United States has approved the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to India. The decision was announced by President Donald Trump during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House. India is currently working on the logistics of Rana's surrender and extradition, with several final steps to be completed before he is sent back to India. The joint statement issued by India and the US during Prime Minister Modi's visit reaffirmed their commitment to fighting terrorism and eliminating terrorist safe havens. The leaders also called on Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks. Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention center in Los Angeles. He is associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.
Justice Madanlal Laxmandas Tahaliyani, a retired judge of the Bombay high court, was on Monday sworn in as the new Maharashtra Lokayukta.
'He is the key to unravel the 26/11 conspiracy.'
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistan-born Canadian national and close associate of David Coleman Headley, is set to be extradited to India from the US. Rana was involved in the planning and execution of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which killed 166 people, including six Americans. He assisted Headley in obtaining a visa for India, established a front company in Mumbai, and helped in reconnaissance of targets in Mumbai and New Delhi. Rana was convicted in the US for providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and sentenced to 14 years in prison. His extradition to India will allow authorities to question him about his involvement in the Mumbai attacks and potentially uncover new information about the role of Pakistani state actors.
An eight-member Pakistani judicial commission team crossed into India from the Wagah border check post in Punjab on Saturday to conduct the much-delayed cross-examination of witnesses in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which claimed 166 lives.
Pakistani security and intelligence agencies have deployed a large number of personnel in plainclothes at Faridkot in Okara district of Punjab province, from where Ajmal hails, with journalists visiting the area having to face angry protests.
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, 21, is a resident of Faridkot, Tehsil, Dipalpur Dist -Ukada, State -Suba Punjab, Pakistan, is a labour by occupation, according to his confession statement.
Three months ahead of the terror attacks in Mumbai, the group of ten terrorists who carried out the strikes were shown photos of their targets and not allowed to meet anyone lest the plot was leaked. The members of the group took turns at manning the watchtower of the boat and guarding the captain of the vessel Ajaysinh Solanki, who was later killed when the boat reached near Mumbai's shores.The police said the diary is proof that there were only ten terrorists on board.
The Mumbai Police is expected to file a chargesheet into the 26/11 terror strike before January 24 and the two key Lashkar-e-Tayiba handlers in Pakistan are likely to be named in it.The lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Amir Iman Kasab, whose Pakistani identity has been acknowledged by Islamabad, will face charges ranging from murder, attempt to murder and theft to waging war against the country, officials said.The government has already decided to set up a special court.
Can the claims by the Mumbai police that just 10 terrorists managed to hold Mumbai hostage for three days be believed? The sequence of events, observations by top security experts, the Intelligence Bureau and also the confessions of the arrested militant now in the custody of the Mumbai police, indicate that the operation was carried out by more than 10 men.
Appointed to defend Mohammed Amir Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Advocate S G Abbas Kazmi on Thursday said he loves challenges and will do his best to abide by the court's decision."The judge has decided to appoint me as the lawyer (of Kasab) and I feel that it is in honour of our nation that Kasab should have a lawyer to defend him," he said.
The trial in the Mumbai terror attack case opened on Friday with the sole surviving terrorist Mohammed Amir Ajmal Kasab seeking retraction of his confession and the prosecution hinting at Pakistan army's involvement in training him and the other terrorists, who were killed.
'Thirteen years have passed since the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai. On today's anniversary, we remember the victims, including six Americans, and the resiliency of Mumbaikars. It is long overdue for the perpetrators to face justice,' Blinken said in a tweet on Friday.
Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Wednesday sought answers from the United Progressive Alliance citing an interview of former central Home Secretary Ram Pradhan which said he had told the then Home Minister about a local mole who allegedly helped carry out 26/11 attacks.
India's Constitution and criminal laws have a provision where an accused -- even in a trial court -- could seek the option of defending himself. In terrorism-related cases, this option was last taken by Parliament attacker Afzal Guru.
The deposition of Indian witnesses in the 26/11 terror attack case began in Mumbai on Tuesday before an eight-member Pakistani Judicial Commission amid tight security arrangements.
India on Friday summoned a senior diplomat of the Pakistani high commission on the 13th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and pressed for an expeditious trial in the case, saying the families of 166 victims from 15 countries are still awaiting closure.
The trial in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case is considered to be historic in nature. However the events leading up to it too are historic considering the fact that never in the history of Indian jurisprudence has a court found it so difficult to appoint an amicus curiae or a standing counsel to defend an accused.
The trial of lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai terror attack case, Mohammed Amir Ajmal Kasab, scheduled to begin in the premises of Arthur Road central jail on Monday, has been put off by a week as the construction of the special court is not yet over.
Trial against suspected top Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist Abu Jundal, an alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, should be conducted through video conferencing as he faces threat to his life, NIA told a Delhi court on Friday.
What was the need to fictionalise a series on real events that were far more horrific because they were real? asks Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.
According to Lam, Waghmare had sought instructions from this witness and even signed a Vakalatnama to help him seek compensation. She had kept the court in dark about this development, Lam alleged. He contended that Waghmare cannot accept brief of accused Kasab if she had decided to appear for a witness in the same case.
'An operation such as the Mumbai attacks, which needed expert technical assessment, money and time to prepare, could not have been carried out without the knowledge of the ISI's leadership.'
Rediff.com takes a look at some cases from the recent past where the courts awarded the capital punishment for horrific crimes that fall under the rarest of rare category.
The chargesheet in the November 26, 2008, Mumbai terror strikes, which claimed over 180 lives, is likely to be filed today. The charge-sheet will be filed before a metropolitan magistrate, who will then transfer the case to the special court constituted inside the high-security Arthur Road jail.
While it is confirmed that there was a man by this name who imparted accent training to the 26/11 terrorists, police are finding it extremely difficult to identify him.
We continue to be what we were before 26/11-- sitting ducks, says Mahesh Vijapurkar.
Makki and other LeT/JUD operatives "have been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youth to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)," the sanctions committee said, providing a statement for the reasons of Makki's listing.
Experts trace the reasons for the 26/11 attacks to the Pakistan's military interest in three key areas: Kashmir, Afghanistan and nuclear armaments.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances