New Delhi, Nov 29
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]K[/dropcap]een to prove to the world community that the militants plotted and executed the 26/11 Mumbai attacks with the help of `state actors’ of Pakistan, India has once again revived the David Headley angle in the ongoing probe by the National investigating Agency (NIA).
The NIA has sent a request to Moroccan authorities for giving consent to record the statement of Headley’s estranged Moroccan wife Faiza Outalha to know about her hsuband’s link with Lashker-e-Tayyeba terror group. There are numerous reports suggesting that LeT is funded and controlled by a section of the Inter State Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan as well as its military.
Headley is a US national of Pakistani origin. He is undergoing a 35-year prison term in Chicago on charges of terrorism. The US Government has stonewalled every attempt by India to gain direct access to Headley despite so much talk by the US on the need for global cooperation for tackling terrorism.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he Moroccan authorities had favourably responded to a previous Letters Rogatory(LR) sent by the NIA in 2012. The law enforcing agencies of Morocco had recorded Faiza’s statement and made it available to India. However, after years of investigation into the David Headley role, the NIA feels it could gain a lot more crucial information from Faiza about the Mumbai attack
According to the sources, the NIA has requested the Moroccan authorities to permit a team of the NIA to question Faiza in person. The NIA feels that Faiza could provide them inputs to link two Pakistani army majors and Lashker terrorists Hafeez Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi with the Mumbai attacks. The Interpol has already issued Red Corner Notices against the two Pakistan Army officials – Major Iqbal and Major Samir Ali – for their role in the Mumbai terror attacks.
India and Morocco do not have any Mutual Assistance Legal Treaty as such – the fresh Letter Ragatory has been issued on the basis of “Assurance of Reciprocity”, which promises a quid-pro-quo by India to the African country in any legal cases in future.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he NIA has reasons to shifts it focus back on Faiza, who had visited India twice before the Mumbai attack and stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi-Trident, which bore the brunt of the November 26, 2008 attack.
The NIA has already filed chargesheet against Headley, his Canadian-Pakistani born associate Tahawuur Rana, Saeed, Lakhvi and five others including two army majors believed to be working for Pakistan’s ISI.
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