Pakistan will ignore Kasab’s consular plea

[Omar1984]

ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: Pakistan will not act upon the plea of Ajmal Amir Kasab, detained in India for last month’s terror attacks on Mumbai, for providing consular access, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik said on Wednesday.

“There is no question of consular access unless it is proved that Ajmal Kasab is a Pakistan national,” the adviser told reporters after a function at the headquarters of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

“We have thoroughly checked the registration record but have not found Ajmal Kasab’s name in the Nadra database.

“Therefore we are not sure whether he is a Pakistani. How we can give him consular access without having knowledge about his nationality?”

The adviser said the leaderships of both Pakistan and India were sensible enough to know that any decision might trigger a conflict. The leaderships and people of both countries do not want a war.”

He said the government would take all steps to save the country from external threats and terrorism.

Pakistan will ignore Kasab’s consular plea -DAWN - Top Stories; December 25, 2008

 

[Neo]

‘Pakistan won’t ask India for consular access to Kasab’​

* Interior Adviser Rehman Malik rules out possibility of Indo-Pak war​

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik has said Pakistan will not ask India for consular access to the lone gunman arrested after the Mumbai attacks until his nationality is confirmed, a private TV channel reported.

Talking to journalists on Wednesday after a ceremony for the upcoming death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto, the adviser also ruled out an Indo-Pak war in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, and said that both Indian and Pakistani leaders want peace.

He said the people of the two countries also did not want war, and ‘speculation on the subject is limited to the media’.

He denied that the lone gunman arrested after the Mumbai terror attacks was a Pakistani, saying that NADRA records did not contain Ajmal Qasab’s name. “The investigation is still in progress, and the findings will be shared later on,” he said. The gunman was remanded in police custody on Wednesday for a further two weeks, and Indian police said a ‘lengthy charge sheet’ was being prepared.

Rehman said the government was making security arrangements for Muharram, and the army would also be deployed in a few districts. He said that clerics were also being asked to play their role in maintaining peace during the month.

He said the government was also working on bringing the country’s disaster management system at par with international standards.