Kasab, and Pakistan, guilty

The special judge, Mr M.L. Tahiliyani, pronounced the lone surviving 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Aamir Kasab guilty on almost all the 86 charges against him in a Mumbai courtroom packed to the rafters on Monday. The maximum punishment Kasab can get is death. However, the biggest surprise of the day came in the form of the acquittals of Indian co-accused Sabauddin Ahmed and Faheem Ansari.

In the 1,522-page verdict, the judge also held that evidence in the case pointed fingers at Pakistan.

The evidence also established that absconding accused, including Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) commanders Hafeez Sayeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi were involved in the terror attacks, the judge said.

“Main tumko doshi paya hai kyun ki aapne desh ke khilaf jung kiya aur 166 logon ki jan li apne doston se milkar (I hold you guilty of waging war against the nation along with your associates and killing 166 people),” the judge told 22-year-old Kasab, from Faridkot village in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

The acquittal of Ansari and Ahmed did not go down well with the crime branch, which is all set to appeal against the order in a higher court, senior crime branch officers told this newspaper. “The order is not convincing and we shall appeal against it after we get a detailed written order,” said ACP (crime) Deven Bharti. “Our case was very strong and we had enough evidence to prove our charges... and we did not expect acquittals,” he said. Clad in a white kurta-pyjama, Kasab arrived at 12.15 pm. The other two accused, who arrived minutes before Kasab, looked unperturbed.

The judge began by pronouncing the judgment with details of tables and the particulars of the charges under which Kasab was held guilty. Addressing the special public prosecutor, Mr Ujjwal Nikam, said it was not possible for him to read out the entire 1,522-page judgment.

The judge gave detailed reasons about why the accused was held guilty not only for murder of seven persons but of conspiracy, waging war against the nation and murder of all the 166 victims.

The judge told defence advocate, Mr K.P. Pawar, to prepare his argument on the quantum of punishment for Kasab by Tuesday.

Pak seeks extradition of Kasab

The Pakistan government on Saturday formally demanded the extradition of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, and his Indian accomplice, Faheem Ansari, Online news agency reported.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, speaking to reporters after meeting Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabrawal, said a Pakistani court had issued arrest warrants against Kasab and Ansari, which have been handed over to India so that Pakistan could move forward in the investigations on the Mumbai attack.

The minister said that the three Indian police officers who recorded Kasab's statement after his capture will have to come to Pakistan for its verification.

Kasab's trial in a Mumbai court ended March 31 and the verdict is to be announced on May 3.

Malik said 71 people have been arrested so far on the dossiers India provided on the Mumbai carnage while 64 people have been put on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Malik said Pakistan had responded to five of the 10 dossiers provided by India on Nov 26-29, 2008 attack that claimed the lives of 166 people, including 26 foreigners.

India has also been asked to share more information on the Mumbai attack.

Malik said that New Delhi had provided unsatisfactory information about Laskhar-e-Tayyaba founder Hafiz Saeed, who India says masterminded the Mumbai carnage.

"However we have frozen 16 bank accounts, blocked six websites and closed down 143 offices" of the Jamat-ud-Dawa the LeT had morphed into after being banned in the wake of the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian parliament that New Delhi blamed on the terror group.