India, US ask Pakistan to act against 26/11 Mumbai attack perpetrators

[Hindustani78]

NEW DELHI, November 03, 2017 21:57 IST
Updated: November 03, 2017 21:57 IST

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...ns-on-azhar/article19977309.ece?homepage=true

China is well aware of India’s concern regarding Pakistan-based Masood Azhar, leader of the banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The MEA’s statement came a day after China blocked India’s latest bid to place Azhar under the 1267 Counter-terror Committee of the U.N. Security Council, which argued that China’s block on the initiative that came on Thursday, would not scuttle India’s global counter-terror campaign.

“On this issue we have taken up the matter with the Chinese side at different levels, including at the highest level. So our concern on this issue is very well known to the Chinese,” said spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, explaining that the issue of designating Masood Azhar has been part of an ongoing dialogue with Beijing.

India reacted strongly after China blocked a proposal sponsored by U.S., France and U.K., pushing India’s case against Masood Azhar, for the 15-member UNSC committee, saying that ‘double standards’ will not help defeat terrorism. But the MEA on Friday said Azhar’s organisation remains a banned organisation and India will continue to push for a global ban on him.

“A lot of countries have already joined our determined effort to fight terrorism and this block by China will not impact our quest, and our resolve to ensure that the territory of India and we all remain safe, continues,” Mr Kumar said.

 

[Imran Khan]

9 years have been passed man

 

[Hindustani78]

Written by Sadaf Modak | Mumbai | Published:November 4, 2017 6:22 am

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on Thursday produced a record on a fax from Chandra stating he is busy with some investigations.

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...t-appearing-in-court-despite-summons-4921778/


A NON-BAILABLE warrant has been issued against a senior police officer for not being present in court despite issuing a summons in the November 26, 2008, terror attack trial against accused Zabiuddin Ansari, alias Abu Jundal. The officer, Manishi Chandra, an Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Special Cell, Delhi, had arrested Ansari in 2012.

The warrant was issued on Thursday. During a hearing on October 13, the court had issued summons to him to be present before it on November 2 for recording his evidence as a witness.

The court had also issued summons to the Registrar, Patiala Court, New Delhi, to produce documents pertaining to Ansari for the trial on Thursday.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on Thursday produced a record on a fax from Chandra stating he is busy with some investigations.

The court was also sent a communication by the court officer in Delhi that since he received information that the witness is not attending the court, he, too, was not producing the documents that had been sought.

Special Judge Govind A Sanap rapped the police officer, observing that he had “disobeyed” the summons and that the grounds for non-attendance are “totally unacceptable”.

“I am satisfied on perusal of the record that the witness has avoided attending this court without any sound reason. The witness has not only avoided to attend the court but informed the officer of the court of the additional sessions court, Patiala House, New Delhi, that he will not be attending court. It seems that the witness and the officer of the court decided unilaterally that the hearing of the matter should not go on. In my view, this is a very serious wrong on their part,” the court observed.

The judge further added that both had “directly or indirectly attempted to interfere with the proceedings by not attending the same”.

The court said the accused being an undertrial prisoner, the police officer should have given preference to giving his evidence, over other matters.

The court said it deemed it proper for a warrant to be issued, even as Nikam sought a last chance. The court has directed the court officer in Delhi to produce the documents as per the summons during the next date.

Ansari, arrested in 2012, is currently the lone accused facing trial for 26/11 and had allegedly coordinated the attacks sitting in a control room in Karachi. Ansari’s advocate, Wahab Khan, had earlier submitted that Chandra had seized the documents pertaining to the accused, which were necessary to establish the identity of the accused. The court had observed that the documents were “relevant” to the case.

The documents include original seizure panchnama, a Pakistani passport, a national identity card issued by the government of Pakistan, a green-coloured card, which bears Ansari’s photograph and the arrest memo.

The Special Cell, which had arrested Ansari from the Delhi international airport in 2012, claimed that he was
travelling to India with a Pakistani passport.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...hafiz-saeed/story-SetD2s6cyJkrSNCZxQpYiK.html

Four aides of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, who were detained along with the JuD chief by the government of Pakistan’s Punjab province under preventative detention since January, have been released.

Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain - walked free as the judicial review board refused to extend their detention.

On January 31, Saeed and his four aides were detained by the Punjab government for 90 days under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, which was then extended further.

However, the last two extensions were made under the ‘public safety law’.

The home department could not convince the board about keeping the four men in further detention.

Under the law, the government can detain a person for up to 90 days under different charges but for an extension to that detention it needs approval from the judicial review board.

But Saeed’s detention was again extended for another 30 days (till November 26) last month under the public safety law.

The Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD) has already been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June, 2014. The JuD chief carries a reward of $10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities.

Pakistani authorities want beefed up security for JuD chief

Pakistani authorities have written to the Punjab home department asking it to take stringent measures for the security of Hafiz Saeed, claiming a “foreign intelligence agency” had planned to kill him.

In the letter, the National Counter Terrorism Authority said the foreign spy agency had paid Rs 80 million to two activists of a banned outfit for the assassination of Saeed.

It asked the Punjab home department to ensure foolproof security for the Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief.

 

[Jackdaws]

9 years have been passed man

Doesn't matter. Obviously Pakistani state was not involved - no state would be daft enough to do this. Considering they are non state actors, why protect them?

 

[Sanchez]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...asood-azhar/article19949628.ece?homepage=true

Cites ‘lack of consensus’ for not designating JeM chief as a global terrorist

Citing a lack of “consensus,” China has said on Monday that it is once again not designating Masood Azhar, head of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, as an international terrorist.

The Chinese position, expressed by its Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, came ahead of Thursday’s meeting of the 1267 committee of the United Nations Security Council, where Azhar’s status would be discussed.

Xi-Modi’s “excellent” meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had apparently held an “excellent” meeting at the sidelines of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) summit in Xiamen in September, raising a slim possibility that Beijing may change tack on Azhar during this month’s UN conclave.

“We have made our position clear many times from this podium. The relevant resolutions of the security council have clear stipulations as to the mandate to the 1267 committee and also clear stipulations when it comes to listing of relevant organisations and individuals,” said Ms. Hua.

She added: “As for listing the application by the relevant country, there are disagreements. China raised the technical hold so as to allow for more time for all parties to deliberate on this matter. To our regret the committee so far has yet to reach a consensus.”

"Pakistan is a victim of terrorism"

Asked whether China was resisting the ban on account of its special ties with Islamabad, Ms. Hua said: “I can understand why you raised this question but cannot side with what you said. China always upholds the principle of objectivity and fairness and we judge this matter on its own merits.”

The spokeswoman stressed that Pakistan itself was a “victim of terrorism.”

“You mentioned Pakistan. Pakistan is also a victim of terrorism and we support Pakistan in countering terrorism in accordance with its own national conditions.”

China had repeatedly imposed a “technical hold” on India’s application for banning Azhar, who has been accused of masterminding last year’s attack on an Indian Air Force base. In January, the United States filed a fresh application, backed by Britain and France after India’s filing on Azhar’s listing had lapsed last year.

It‘s to save India’s face by holding a technical pause because of lack of evidence！It‘s gonno be a direct veto for Indian request！

 

[Hindustani78]

10 years after 26/11, NSG audit shows chinks in 20 states’ armour

After the Mumbai attack, which left 174 dead and 304 injured, it was decided that all state police departments would have a dedicated counter-terrorism force which would be the first responder in case of a terrorist attack. The elite force carried out the audit between March and June this year.
india Updated: Oct 28, 2018 07:21 IST

A delay in the decision to deploy NSG commandos during the Mumbai terror attacks was said to have cost many lives. (HT File Photo)

On November 6, weeks before the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Indian Military Central Command Core will host a meeting with state Director Generals of Police (DGPs) and home secretaries to discuss improving the counter-terrorism capabilities of state police departments based on the first-ever audit of these conducted by the National Security Guards (NSG).

The audit, a follow-up to the home ministry’s recommendations after the 26/11 attacks, has found the capability of the police apparatus to fight terrorist attacks in at least 20 states including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and places them in the average and below average category.

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra were placed in the very good category while Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police were in the good category.

The elite force carried out the audit between March and June this year. According to the Director General of National Security Guard's has been asked to present the audit report to the state DGPs in the conference. Director General of National Security Guards is conscious of the need to enhance the counter-terrorism capabilities of the police departments across states, the officials added.

After the Mumbai attack, which left 174 dead and 304 injured, it was decided that all state police departments would have a dedicated counter-terrorism force which would be the first responder in case of a terrorist attack. National Security Guard's was designated as a second responder but it was tasked to train all specialised counter-terrorism forces of the states such as Octopus in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Force One in Maharashtra and Chetak in Gujarat. Punjab, a state that has faced decades of Pakistan-instigated Khalistani terrorism, still does not have a specialised force and Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal has just announced the raising of Kavach, a specialised counter-terrorism force. Many other states do not have specialised forces.

The security audit was conducted on parameters such as: Organization Structure, Manpower Management, Equipment, Weaponry and Mobility. It was found that some states had just transferred personnel from their police departments, showcasing them as a counter-terrorism force.

While National Security Guard's has five commando hubs (Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad) apart from Delhi to neutralise terrorist strikes, experts say the key to counter-terror operations lies in faster decision-making by the government of the day and rapid deployment of special forces.

“It is up to the initiative of the individual states. For example, as DGP of Odisha we formed a special ops group for tactical roles. It was small group that was specially trained for anti-terror ops in built -up and urban areas,” said former DGP Odisha and CRPF.

“There is enough support from the Centre. Many states, however, accord low priority to creating such special ops groups. Others mistake anti-Maoist forces to be special ops groups. They do so at their peril. The task of each is different and needs a different approach. The expenditure to form such a force is small, but the benefits are enormous.”

According to official records, the first shots in 26/11 by Pakistan based and trained militant gunmen were heard at 2120 hours on November 26 but the then cabinet secretary spoke to the then National Security Guard's Director General for commando deployment in Mumbai only at 0100 hours on November 27. The National Security Guard's commandos left Delhi at 0300 hours and reached Mumbai at 0600 hours. The first National Security Guard's counter came at 0920 hours at Taj Mahal hotel and the second counter at 1100 hours at Nariman House. This delay in both decision making and deployment cost lives.

************
13 foreigners killed in Mumbai terror attack: MHA
November 29, 2008 03:57 IST

According to Union Home Ministry data released on Thursday evening, eight foreign nationals were dead and 22 injured in the Mumbai terror attacks. These figures do not include the death of five in Nariman House, whose killing was confirmed later by National Security Guards chief J K Dutt.

The deceased included three German nationals and one each from Japan , Canada and Australia, Special Secretary (Internal Security) M L Kumawat said in New Delhi at a press briefing on the Mumbai attacks.

Kumawat said among those injured, five are from United Kingdom, three from Germany , two each from the United States and Oman, and one each from Norway, Spain, Canada, Finland, Philippines, Austria, Italy and China. The nationality of two others was not known.

A 51-year-old German national Burgeroch was brought dead from the Taj Hotel to the Breach Candy hospital, where two other German nationals -- Bernardelite (45) and Benjamin Matthiys (26) -- are undergoing treatment.

At the Jaslok Hospital, three British nationals -- Michael Murphy (58), Dianne Murphy (53) and Harsh Patel (29) -- have been admitted.

Two visitors from Oman -- Al Zadjali Miran Sahil (19) and Al Raisi Muneera Mohd (35) -- have been admitted at the Saifee Hospital.

 

[Hindustani78]

Lt Col. Prasad Purohit at Bombay High Court on Monday. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini


The court is likely to begin recording of evidence and commence the trial on November 1, 2018.

Ten years after an RDX (a type of high explosive) planted in Maharashtra killed six people, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday framed charges against seven accused.

Special judge Vinod Padalkar charged seven accused with murder, abetment and conspiracy for the blast.

The court read out the order in open court in the presence of all accused in Hindi. It said, “The organisation was formed with the common object to spread terrorism and a bomb with RDX was planted on a motorcycle in that killed six, injured 101 people and destroyed property.”

The accused have been charged under sections in the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Explosives Substance Act. They have pleaded not guilty. Lt. Col Purohit told the court, “My integrity was never questioned and I never expected it to happen this way.”

The court is likely to begin recording of evidence and commence the trial on November 1, 2018.