Lahore:
Twelve years right after the 26/11 attack, Pakistan has placed 19 members of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in a list of the “Most Wanted Terrorists” for their function in the heinous assault, but it has not initiated any really serious efforts to catch them and also punish seven other people who are facing trial in Lahore.
The safety agencies in Pakistan are clueless about the whereabouts of these 19 most wanted terrorists. Some of them have been hiding in Pakistan and other people are believed to have fled the nation. These terrorists had been either crew members of the boats utilised by the attackers or financiers of the 26/11 attack.
The move to spot 19 LeT terrorists in the list apparently came following the Paris-primarily based worldwide income laundering and terrorist financing watchdog”s current selection to retain Pakistan on its grey list till February 2021.
The Financial Action Task Force created the selection right after Islamabad failed to fulfill its six important obligations, such as failure to take action against two of India’s most wanted terrorists – Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed head Masood Azhar.
The safety agencies have ready a list of more than 1,200 most wanted/higher profile terrorists in Pakistan to allow extra coordination amongst authorities to go right after them, officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told PTI.
The FIA, Pakistan’s leading investigating agency, has been probing the Mumbai terror attack case given that 2009 and is searching for the 19 “most wanted terrorists” involved in the deadly terror assault that sent shockwaves across the nation and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a war.
In November 2008, 10 LeT terrorists sailed into Mumbai from Karachi and carried out coordinated attacks, killing 166 men and women and injuring more than 300. Nine of the attackers had been killed by police although lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and hanged right after trial in India.
On the 12th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, its mastermind Saeed is in jail in Lahore, serving a collective more than 21-year sentence below terror financing charges.
Saeed, a UN designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, was arrested on July 17 final year. Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the LeT.
And the LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi has been operating with impunity in the nation right after securing bail in the Mumbai terror attack case more than 5 years ago.
The 26/11 case has been pending in the anti-terrorism courts of Rawalpindi/Islamabad given that 2009.
The other six accused — Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum — who are facing charges of abetment to murder, attempted murder, preparing and executing the Mumbai attack, are lodged at the higher-safety Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
The Pakistan government says it has not too long ago introduced a quantity of fresh legislations to allow safety forces to confront terrorist groups extra efficiently.
Making the facts about the 19 most wanted LeT terrorists public for the initial time, the FIA says Amjad Khan of Multan was a crew member of LeT (boat Al-Hussaini and boat Al-Fauz).
“He also purchased the boat Al Fauz which was used during the Mumbai terror attacks. He also purchased a Yamaha motor-boat engine, life jackets, inflatable boats etc. From ARZ Water Sport Karachi these things were used in Mumbai terror attacks and recovered by Indian authorities,” it says.
Iftikhar Ali, a resident of Faisalabad, obtained Voice-more than Internet Protocol (VOIP) connection for terrorist communication, it says.
The FIA additional says Shahid Ghafoor of Bahawalpur was a captain/Tandol of boats Al Hussaini & Al Fauz.
“Muhammad Usman of Sahiwal, Ateequer Rehman of Lahore, Riaz Ahmed of Hafizabad, Muhammad Mushtaq of Gujranwala, Muhammad Naeem of DG Khan, Abdul Shakoor of Karachi, Muhammad Sabir of Multan, Usman Bashir of Lodhran, Shakil Ahmed of Rahim Yar Khan and Abdul Rehman of Bawalnagar were crew members of boats Al Hussaini & Al Fouz used by the terrorists,” the FIA says.
Giving particulars of the other most wanted LeT terrorists, the FIA says Usman Zia of Rawalpindi transferred Rs 80,000 in the account of accused Hammad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz in ABL Karachi.
Similarly, Abbas Nasir of Khanewal transferred Rs 2,53,690 in their account. Javed Iqbal of Kasur and Mukhtar Ahmed of Mandi Bahauddin transferred Rs 1,86,430 and Rs 2,98,047 respectively in Sadiq’s account.
The FIA says Ahmed Saeed of Bbatagram transferred Rs 21,00,000. Muhammad Khan of Turbat offered Al-Hussaini boat to the terrorists involved in the 26/11 attack.
Talking to the PTI on the existing status of the Mumbai attack case, FIA’s chief prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar stated: “The case proceedings have come to halt after India refused to send its 24 witnesses to Pakistan for recording of their statements and other evidence. The case cannot move further till India’s cooperation on the issue.”
Practically, there have not been any proceedings in this case for the final two years or so. Neither the Imran Khan government intends to challenge the bail of Lakhvi in the Supreme Court.
According to the FIA, the prosecution does not have sturdy adequate proof to challenge Lakhvi’s bail.
Neither Saeed nor any of his associates convicted in terror financing circumstances have applied for bail in superior court.
“Perhaps the convicted JuD men are told to wait for Pakistan coming out of the FATF’s grey list before they move to court for bail,” a political analyst commented.
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