India to press Pak for LeT operatives’ voice samples

India has decided to focus on terrorism from across the border in the Foreign Secretaries talks in New Delhi on Feb 25. India will ask Pakistan for voice samples of seven Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, to help in the ongoing probe.

Reliable sources said India will seek the voice samples of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu Al Qama, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Younus Anjum and Jamil Ahmed.

The voice samples would be matched with the telephonic intercepts available with Indian security agencies that were recorded during the Mumbai attacks by 10 Pakistani terrorists on November 26, 2008, the sources said.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will hold talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir during which India is expected to convey its serious concerns over cross-border terrorism.

The seven accused were chargesheeted by a Pakistani court on November 25 last year and India now feels Pakistan can share their voice samples to assist in the ongoing investigations.

The arms training of some youth under the banner of Indian Mujahideen in Karachi, will also be conveyed to Pakistan.

The upcoming meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries will be a “standalone” affair aimed at building a climate of trust for future talks between the neighbours, top government sources said on Thursday. India was being “realistic” in going ahead with the meeting, as beyond a point, putting off talks was likely to yield diminishing returns. “However, this talk is not aimed at resolving outstanding issues. We are fully conscious of the complexities involved in the process and are therefore adopting a nuanced approach to the dialogue.”

It was reiterated that terrorism directed at India remained “our core concern”, indeed that the terror strike on Pune had put this concern in sharper focus. “The Indian focus during the talks would be on terror. If Pakistan has other concerns, we are willing to address them. However, the future course of the dialogue would depend on how they respond to our concerns.”

Pointing to the volley of provocative statements from across the border, among them the February 5 warning of Abdur Rehman Makki that Pune could be a future target, the importance of dialogue in cooling tempers and restoring normality is being stressed. “We need to be sensible in the way we approach each other as we are both victims of terror. If anything, we need CBMs (confidence building measures) on terror,” government sources said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision to go ahead with the scheduled Indo-Pak meeting after the blast at Pune's German Bakery that has so far claimed 10 lives, was not an easy one for him. Two key ministers of his government, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Defence Minister A.K. Antony reportedly opposed the move.

According to United Progressive Alliance managers, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna supported Manmohan Singh’s move, Chidambaram and Antony reportedly wanted the meeting to be deferred. Chidambaram and Antony were said to have argued that despite giving credible information and proof on 26/11 to Pakistan, Islamabad has failed to take any concrete step to stop terrorism and the recent Pune blast clearly proved that jihadi elements were still at large in Pakistan.

The defence minister, according to sources, felt that in the absence of any concrete step by Pakistan and in the aftermath of the Pune blast, the decision to go ahead with the talks might not go down well with the domestic audience and said the armed forces might feel demoralised. The home minister echoed similar sentiments.

However, Mukherjee and Krishna rallied behind the Prime Minister. They argued that if the talks were stalled, terrorists would succeed in their plan, as the blast at Pune's German Bakery was aimed to derail the dialogue process. Shivshankar Menon, the new National Security Advisor, also lent his support to Mukherjee and Krishna. He had earlier said that halting the dialogue would only strengthen the terrorists.

Before deciding to go ahead with the talks, Singh had a talk with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Top leaders of the UPA have decided that the upcoming meeting will not entertain any other issue but focus only on terror.

Claims on Pune blast dismissed

Investigators have dismissed claims made by two obscure groups — Lashkar-e-Taiba al Alami (International) and Indian Mujahideen Kashmir — claiming responsibility for the blast at German Bakery in Pune. Referring to the claims, a top security official said, “We have verified all the relevant details. It has no value”.

While the first claim was made through an SMS to a media house from a Pakistani phone number attributing the blast to Indian Mujahideen Kashmir, the second was made by one Abu Jindal, who introduced himself as the spokesperson of LeT al Alami. Jindal had called the Islamabad correspondent of an Indian newspaper, claiming that the Pune attack was carried out by sleeper cells of the group in India in protest against India’s refusal to put J&K on the agenda of the coming talks with Pakistan and its “alliance” with the United States.

The official said, “Such claims have no value from investigation point of view. It could be a red herring to distract attention from the actual perpetrators.”

Meanwhile, nearly 40 persons have been detained and are being questioned in different cities including Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hampi in connection with the blast.

Four Kashmiri youths have been taken into custody in Hampi in connection with the February 13 explosion in Pune. The detention was made by a team of the Maharashtra police near Virupapura Gaddi locality. The Pune blast site was littered with handicrafts items, leading the Mumbai police to Hampi. The four Kashmiris are sellers of handicrafts. The police are looking for three other persons.

Dozens of other detentions have been made in Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune on the basis of intelligence, call records and whatever ‘little information’ sleuths could glean from the CCTV footage containing images of activities on North Main Road, where the German Bakery’s entrance is located.

The Maharashtra police team inspected various cyber cafes in Hampi, a popular haunt for foreign tourists. They questioned some foreigners, and enquired with the local police and hotel owners about people who had booked rooms for a week and left in a hurry. More than 40 hotels catering to foreign tourists are located in Hampi.

- Asian Tribune -