Karkare, Purohit Figure in Pak's Reply to India


TNN

New Delhi, Feb 14: Both Hemant Karkare, the former head of Maharashtra anti-terror squad, as well as Lt Colonel Srikant Purohit, whom he probed for the Malegaon blasts, figure in Pakistan's response to India's 26/11 dossier.

According to sources, Pakistan has sought details of eyewitness accounts of Karkare's killing. There is an oblique reference to Purohit as well.

These questions form part of the dossier that Pakistan gave to India on Thursday.

The questions assume significance in view of the doubts — since quelled by US's charge against a Pakistani national, Asif Kashmani —that Purohit and his group, Abhinav Bharat, could have been involved in the Samjhauta Express blast in February 2007.

Karkare's death became an issue after Cabinet minister A R Antulay raised doubts that he was deliberately thrown in harm's way on 26/11 by people who were upset with the ATS probe into Malegaon blasts.

Sources, however, said the questions were perfunctory and did not seem designed to stoke a controversy, probably meant for Pakistan's domestic audience.

Other questions — about DNA, fingerprints, photographs, intercepts, etc — were simple and India would have no trouble answering them.

Indian officials, however, have noted that while Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah of the Lashkar-e-Toiba have been charged by Pakistan, Yousuf Muzammil has remained out of the net. He has been named as one of the top planners of the attacks.

The Pakistani questions wound their way to the Mumbai police on Friday, though it will be a while before India will be able to furnish credible answers. The response will be worked out by the home ministry and the security agencies.

While most of the questions from Pakistan relate to the Mumbai attacks, there is also an attempt to probe deeper into the Indian system. Among other things, Pakistan wants to know how India came to the conclusion that someone like Abu Hamza was involved in the attacks. Abu Hamza's name had not been immediately discernible in the aftermath of the attacks, and Indian investigators have gone to some trouble to trace him out as one of the planners of the Mumbai attacks.

Abu Hamza remains at large and though he figured in Pakistan's investigations as well, Pakistan's questions on the Indian investigation might not find willing takers here. India named Abu Hamza after interrogating Sabauddin Ahmad, another LeT operative, who was caught in early 2008. Ahmad, along with Fahim Ansari, had apparently been part of the recce team for Mumbai. Abu Hamza was also named by the US FBI, after they interrogated Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist. 

  

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