India to seek Hafiz Saeed’s voice samples

NEW DEHLI: India is expected to seek voice samples of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and other alleged handlers of the 26/11 attackers during Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram’s visit to Islamabad later this month.

Chidambaram, who will be travelling to Islamabad on June 26 primarily for Saarc interior minister’s conference, is expected to have bilateral meetings with Pakistani leaders. He is also expected to raise the issue of cross-border infiltration during the talks, the Online news agency quoted PTI as saying.

Also on Friday, Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik met Chidambaram in New Delhi to discuss issues related to the trip. It has been reported that Chidambaram is expected to meet his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik seeking the status of investigation and trial being conducted in Pakistan of the Mumbai attack’s case. Chidambaram is also expected to seek voice samples of Saeed and other alleged “handlers” of the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, Online quoted its sources as saying. The lone captured terrorist involved in the 26/11 attacks, Ajmal Amir Kasab has confessed that the Laskar’s founder was present with the group before it sailed for Mumbai.

Reportedly Chidambaram would also seek to know the follow up on the 10 dossiers India gave to Pakistan, detailing the evidence against Saeed and others involved in the Mumbai attack. Pakistan’s Supreme Court set Saeed free on May 25, arguing that there was not enough evidence to keep him detained.

The meeting of Saarc foreign ministers will follow the meeting of home secretaries of the eight-nation grouping. The interior minister’s summit is also expected to discuss regional cooperation for dealing with the menace of terrorism, narcotics smuggling and organised crime.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2010.