PC to Pak: Own up on Jundal, Saeed

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Home minister P. Chidambaram sought to squarely nail Pakistan’s refusal to prosecute Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed for his role in 26/11 on the premise that he had no part in it.

He said on Friday that captured 26/11 handler Abu Jundal had admitted during interrogation that the Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief was present in the control room in Pakistan along with him, while he directed the 10 terrorists during the three day carnage.

Terming Jundal’s arrest an important development in the 26/11 case, Mr Chidambaram for the second day running, blamed Pakistan for its role in 26/11 Mumbai terror strike and said his interrogation had clearly established now that a “control room” to monitor the attack had been set up in Pakistan with “state support.”

“We think such a control room could not have been established without some kind of state support.” On the presence of others in the control room, he said, “Yes, others were present and we believe one of them was Hafiz Saeed.”

Following the Mumbai massacre, the LeT shifted headquarters from Muridke to Dolai region in PoK to avoid suspicion, Jundal reportedly revealed. He also told interrogators that once Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was arrested, Muzamil Bhatt was made operational head of the Lashkar.

Jundal talked of the nexus between LeT and Indian Mujahideen. He along with Mohd Adil, a Pakistani national arrested by Delhi Police’s Special Cell last year, were the main co-ordinators between LeT and IM.

Home Secretary R K Singh said Pakistan should also admit that they have given a passport and two identity cards to Abu Jundal and that ''they should also admit the fact that they claimed that he was a Pakistani.''

Mr Chidambaram said the terror threat from Pakistan remains high and ''we are alive to the fact that India continues to remain the target of the LeT and other organisations."