10 yrs on, cops fail to nail those caught for funding Kandahar

This is no compliment to the Mumbai Police. More than a decade after the Kandahar plane hijacking, two men - already convicted for their role in it - are among three recently acquitted by the Sessions Court. The trio was being tried for the theft of a van used in a bank heist that allegedly funded the hijack. The prosecution’s case for the vehicle robbery before the City Sessions Court failed because the sole eyewitness could not be traced. This acquittal has also put the connected case of the subsequent bank robbery at risk. The prosecution’s story is that on October 6, 1999, two armed men robbed a white Maruti van belonging to Mohan Bangera. The hijacked plane was forced to land in Afghanistan It was parked next to the Orlem Church bus-stop at Malad and the driver was fixing the van’s rear-view mirror when Abdul Latif, Bhopalmann Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed Azmi allegedly dragged him out at gunpoint and fled with the vehicle. Latif and Khan were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 by a special Patiala court for their role in the IC-814 hijack. In the second case, the trial for which is under way, the prosecution alleges that that the trio used this car to rob Borivali’s Maharashtra bank of Rs 7.72 lakh on October 30, 1999. The bank heist was allegedly pulled off along with three Pakistani nationals and the car was later found abandoned. On December 30, the police arrested five accused - one Pakistani is still wanted - from Jogeshwari’s Behram Baug. They recovered Rs 1.72 lakh from them. The remaining Rs 7 lakh is believed to have been sent to the hijackers in Pakistan for the hijacking. The police had also recovered two AK-56 rifles, 30 live rounds, hand grenades and rocket launchers from them. Success in the second case is partly dependent on the first. The prosecution could not prove the car theft because the police are unable to trace the sole eyewitness, the driver. The owner of the car Bangera has passed away. The testimonies of a panch witness and three cops weren’t of any help in establishing the case. Assistant Sessions Judge M J Mirza on Tuesday acquitted the trio.

Article source : Mumbai mirror

S M Krishna to visit Pakistan on July 15

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will visit Islamabad on July 15 for talks with his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi to work out the modalities for carrying forward the dialogue process to discuss outstanding issues in an atmosphere of mutual trust.

After a 25-minute telephonic conversation between the two ministers today, Krishna told reporters that Qureshi had invited him to visit Islamabad on July 15 and he looked forward to the talks.

"The Foreign Minister of Pakistan has invited me to visit Islamabad on July 15. So I am planning to visitIslamabad for my talks with Foreign Minister Qureshi," he said.

"I am looking forward to these talks and let us hope that these talks will help in bringing our countries closer together and bringing between the two countries the cordiality we desire and let us hope that our efforts will be fruitful," he said.

Krishna said he and Qureshi will work out the methodology to carry forward the dialogue between the two countries so that all outstanding issues could be discussed in an atmosphere of "mutual trust".

He said the Prime Ministers of both the countries had, after their meeting in Thimpu last month, asked the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries to meet as soon as possible and discuss ways to reduce "trust deficit".

On Thursday, Krishna had said in Rajya Sabha that India had decided to have a dialogue as there has been a "transformation" in ties with assurance coming at the level of Pakistan Prime Minister that India's "core concern" with regard to terrorism would be addressed adequately.

In Islamabad, Qureshi today made it clear that the two sides were going to the talks with an open mind and positive approach without having any false hopes.

"I will not create any false hopes. I am an optimist yet a realist. I recognise the challenges, I recognise the difficulties. I recognise the trust deficit. It is an uphill task. Don't expect miracles overnight. Good thing is that on both sides we have democracies and democracies believe in negotiations, talks and parleys," he said adding "we had a very good discussion and we will build on it. There is no quick fixes."

His response came on being asked about the two sides reportedly having come close to a deal on issues related to Siachen and Sir Creek during the earlier dialogue process.

Qureshi said he would be seeking guidance from Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on the substantive issues.

He said the approach of Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Gilani was "very productive" and their interaction in Thimphu was "frank, cordial and forward looking".

"We will discuss all issues of concern to India and Pakistan. There was no discussion on structure. I am presuming both sides are comfortable. Structure is in place," Qureshi said.

"We will have to sit and resolve. We will not allow acts of terrorism to impede the process. We will have to build on it to a level that it (dialogue process) becomes irreversible," he said.

He said there was no bar on bringing to the table issues of mutual concern like the water dispute.

Qureshi said he had seen the Indian minister's statement in Rajya Sabha last week which he considered "positive and forward looking".

Ahead of Krishna's visit, Home Minister P Chidambaram is slated to visit Islamabad on June 26 to attend a meeting of Home Ministers from SAARC countries. Qureshi said Chidambaram would meet with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the SAARC meeting. 

The composite dialogue process covering Kashmir and other outstanding issues was stalled in the wake of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.

The Singh-Gilani meeting on the sidelines of SAARC Summit in Thimphu was the first substantive dialogue between the two countries since they met in Sharm-el-Shaikh in Egypt in July last year.

Bringing in thaw in bilateral relations, Singh and Gilani in Thimphu had agreed to resume dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers soon that could lead to parleys on all outstanding issues like terrorism, Kashmir and Siachen.

The two leaders had entrusted the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries with the responsibility of restoring confidence and trust in the relations that could pave the way for substantive dialogue on outstanding issues of mutual concern.

Singh had then conveyed India's deep and continuing concern over the fact that 26/11 mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was being allowed to roam freely and engage in language and communications that are certainly not conducive to the atmosphere of peace and stability.

Gilani had assured Singh that his government was making all efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks and not to allow Pakistani soil to be used for terrorism against India.

Judge keeps in mind Kandahar case to hang Kasab

One of the reasons cited by the 26/11 special court to award death penalty on Ajmal Kasab for his role in terror attacks was that keeping him alive would be a lingering danger to India, keeping in mind the 1999 Kandahar plane hijacking case.

"Keeping Kasab alive would be a constant and lingering danger to the society and Indian government," Judge M L Tahilayani said and cited the December 1999 Kandahar plane hijack case in which three dreaded terrorists were released by India to rescue the passengers of the flight.

"If Kasab is kept alive, then this situation may occur again," the judge said adding the recent trend of terrorism is evolving.

The court also said the probability of Kasab reforming was ruled out considering the barbaric manner in which he has behaved.

Kasab was awarded the death penalty on five counts of murder, abetment to murder, conspiracy, waging war against India and committing terror acts.

He was further sentenced to life imprisonment on five counts of attempt to murder, conspiracy to wage war, collecting arms to wage war, kidnapping with an intention to murder and causing explosion to endanger life.