SOUTH ASIA
Shiv Sena Chief Thackeray Was On ISI Hitlist
Mumbai attacks co-accused David Headley testified in a US court on Wednesday that there was a plot involving his handlers in Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba to assassinate Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. Headley had scouted the Shiv Sena Bhavan, the Sena’s headquarters in Dadar, Mumbai before the 26/11 attacks. Giving his testimony on the second day of the trial of 26/11 co-accused Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, Headley talked about the hatred against the Sena among his Pakistani handlers. He also told the jury how he gave details about the potential landing sites in Mumbai to his Pakistani handlers.
According to Headley, he and his Pakistani handlers – Major Iqbal of ISI, Sajid Mir of LeT and Pasha – and Rana shared their hatred of the Sena and considered the saffron party “a terrorist outfit.” US prosecutors are trying to prove Headley had direct communication with Rana and his Pakistani handlers.
Questioning his links with the Sena, the prosecutors, during the first hour of testimony on the second day, brought in the communication he had with “Reggie” or Rajaram Rege, the Shiv Sena’s public relations officer. Headley testified he shared his communication with “Reggie” with Rana, Major Iqbal, Sajid and Pasha. He was asked about several emails he sent to Rana, Major Iqbal and Sajid – all to confirm that Rana and he were in direct communication with all of them. The email sent to Sajid indicated that Bala (Bal Thackeray) would be travelling with “Reggie’s boss” (Uddhav) to the US and that he could be assassinated “over here” (in the US). Headley said he and Sajid discussed they wanted to kill Shiv Sena people. “We have discussed. This man (Rege) was very important and would have given us access to this organisation (Sena),” he said. Headley also talked about killing Shiv Sena leaders.
Sena leader Sanjay Raut in Mumbai, however, denied that the Sena had any officer by the name of Rege. “This [Headley’s statement] is completely false and baseless,” Raut said. Sena spokespersons refused to comment on Headley’s statement that the Sena was a terrorist outfit. They said any statement on the matter would be made by Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray.
CM Prithviraj Chavan said the state would wait for the Centre’s directive to probe if Headley had met Sena leaders during his stay in Mumbai. Chavan said trial was being held in another country, and he did not know much about it. “Let the matter come to the Union government. We will probe if the Centre (government) asks us to do so,” he said. Headley said he forwarded the emails with “Reggie” to Rana and that in June 2008, returned to Pakistan and met Major Iqbal and Sajid (more than once).
-HT
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistani Anti-graft body wants travel ban on Nawaz Sharif, kin
Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog has asked authorities to place ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law on the Exit Control List to prevent them from leaving the country.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sent a formal request to the ministry of interior. The interior ministry officials confirmed that the NAB wrote that names of Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar should be put on the Exit Control List (ECL), which listed individuals not allowed to leave Pakistan.
The NAB argued that as the trial of the three nears its conclusion, it is feared that they would leave the country.
Earlier, a similar request to place name of finance minister Ishaq Dar on ECL was not accepted, allowing him to go to London and never return.
Sharif, 68, and his family this week filed an application with the accountability court seeking a fortnight’s exemption from personal appearance from February 19 onwards to let them go to London to see Sharif’s ailing wife. Three cases were filed against Sharif and his family last year, including Avenfield properties, Azizia & Hill Metal Establishment, and Flagship Investments.
Maryam and Safdar are accused only in Avenfield properties case. The NAB had filed two supplementary references against Sharif, his sons Hasan and Hussain regarding Al-Azizia Steel Mills & Hill Metal Establishment and Flagship Investment cases.
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistan “breaches obligations’ on nuclear arms reduction, UN court told
The Hague: Pakistan is violating its “obligations” to the international community by failing to reduce its nuclear arsenal, the Marshall Islands told the UN’s highest court on Tuesday.
The small Pacific Island nation is this week launching three unusual cases against India, Pakistan and Britain before the International Court of Justice.
Majuro wants to put a new spotlight on the global nuclear threat, its lawyers said yesterday, by using its own experience with massive US-led nuclear tests in the 1940s and 1950s.
“Pakistan is in breach of its obligations owed to the international community as a whole,” when it comes to reducing its nuclear stockpile, said Nicholas Grief, one of the island nation’s lawyers.
DeBrum warned that even a “limited nuclear war” involving the two countries would “threaten the existence” of his island nation people.
Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
In 1998, the rival neighbours both demonstrated nuclear weapons capability.
The ICJ’s judges are holding hearings for the next week and a half to decide whether it is competent to hear the lawsuits brought against India and Pakistan — neither of which have signed the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
A third hearing against Britain — which has signed the NPT — scheduled to start on Wednesday will be devoted to “preliminary objections” raised by London.
The Marshalls initially sought to bring a case against nine countries it said possessed nuclear arms: Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.
Israel has never admitted to having nuclear weapons.
But the Hague-based ICJ, set up in 1945 to rule in disputes between states, has only admitted three cases against Britain, India and Pakistan, because they have accepted the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction.
Pakistan’s lawyers did not attend Tuesday’s hearings.
It did however file a counter-claim against Majuro’s allegations saying “the court has no jurisdiction to deal with the application” and insisting that the case is “not admissible”, said ICJ President Ronny Abraham.
SOUTH ASIA
Bangladesh to drop Islam as official religion following attacks on Hindus
New Delhi: Bangladesh is likely to drop Islam as its official religion following a series of attacks on people from other faiths in the country. The country’s Supreme Court is hearing a plea challenging the status of the official religion of the country to Islam.
Bangladesh, which was declared a secular country after its formation in 1971, was declared an Islamic country following a constitutional amendment in 1988.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the plea has challenged the declaration of Islam as the national religion of the country.
The move is being supported by leaders from the minority communities like Hindus, Christians and Muslim minority Shiites.
Bangladesh has 90 per cent of Muslims, 8 per cent Hindus and remaining constitutes Christians and Muslim minority Shiites.
In last month, a Hindu priest was hacked to death following an attack on a temple in Panchgarh district. Two others were seriously injured in the attack. There have been several lethal attacks on writers and bloggers.
According to a report in the Independent, Islamist groups Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team are believed to have carried out at least seven attacks on foreign and minority people in Bangladesh in the past year.
