Throwing the ball in Pakistan’s court, Indian authorities have suggested Pakistan take action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 terror attack on the basis of “voice samples’’ in possession of Indian authorities as well as the descriptions and details provided by American-Pakistani LeT terrorist David Headley to the FBI in the US and the National Investigation Agency.
Pakistan had cited a lower court order saying that voice samples of the 26/11 accused cannot be taken without their consent. Home minister P. Chidambaram who returned to New Delhi after the just-concluded Saarc home ministers’ conference in Islamabad has also sought action against seven persons in particular on whom Pakistani authorities have been going slow for lack of sufficient evidence. These include Sajjid Mir, Abdul Rehman, Pasha, Brigadier Riyaz, Abu Khafa, Al Kama and Abu Hamza. India has also told Pakistan that Jammat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed’s anti-India statements are unacceptable cannot be termed as “freedom of expression’’ and are unacceptable to India.
“Pakistani authorities can prosecute the 26/11 accused on the basis of the voice samples present with us. They can confront the accused with the evidence provided by Indian authorities,” a government official said on Monday.
India is also armed with “vital information’’ given by Headley who had met some of the perpetrators of 26/11 in Pakistan. Headley has given the description of such persons to the officials of the NIA which has been shared with Pakistan. These include “non-state’’ and “state actors’’ in Pakistan, the sources said.
India is hopeful of a quick response from Pakistan to initiate the thawing of Indo-Pak relations ahead of July 15 meeting between external affairs minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.