2G scam: Kanimozhi to approach Delhi High Court for bail plea next week

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) lawmaker Kanimozhi, who was arrested in connection with the 2G spectrum scam , would approach Delhi High Court with her bail plea by next week, her lawyer said on Saturday.
Kanimozhi and former Telecom Minister A. Raja were on Saturday produced before a special court here. The court had sent her to14-day judicial custody on Friday.
The DMK lawmaker’s counsel, Samoga Samudaram , said his client is confident of emerging clean from the case.
“Kanimozhi was brought to court today. She was confident and she is very confident that she will come out clean in the case. About the bail application, the court has observed that her conduct was highly dignified. That was the observation by the court because the court had seen her coming to court everyday without failing, except for one or two days when she took exemption,” Samudaram said.
Riding high on the High Court’s observation on the verdict, Samudaram said they would forward the bail plea to the higher court.
“At the moment nothing else, except the bail application before the High Court because as we sighted the judgment of the High Court where the High Court says, it is heartless of the court to issue warrant and remand a person who has appeared on summon. So, on that ground we are moving to High Court,” he said.
A special CBI court had on Friday refused to grant bail to Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar citing the ‘magnitude of the crime’.
While Kanimozhi was lodged in Jail No 6, Kumar was sent to Jail No 4, which also has Commonwealth Games scam accused Suresh Kalmadi.
The CBI had claimed that Kanimozhi lobbied for Raja to become a Union Cabinet minister.
The CBI also argued that Asif Balwa, who is the director of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd was the front man in the entire scam.
The agency presented before the court, details of the Rs 200 crore transactions by the Kalaignar TV.
The CBI said that a total number of 16 bank accounts were used in the transactions. The money first came from DB Realty to Kusegaon. It then went to Cineyug Film Company from where it was routed to Kalaignar TV.
She has been named as co-conspirator in CBI’s second chargesheet in the scam.
Kanimozhi has been charged under Sections 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The chargesheet said the investigation into the case disclosed that money had travelled from DB Realty to Kalaignar TV.
The supplementary chargesheet filed by the investigating agency has also named as co-accused Sharad Kumar, Karim Morani of Cineyug Films, and Asif Balwa and Rajiv B Agarwal of Kusegaon Realty.

2G scam: Kanimozhi to approach Delhi High Court for bail plea next week

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) lawmaker Kanimozhi, who was arrested in connection with the 2G spectrum scam , would approach Delhi High Court with her bail plea by next week, her lawyer said on Saturday.
Kanimozhi and former Telecom Minister A. Raja were on Saturday produced before a special court here. The court had sent her to14-day judicial custody on Friday.
The DMK lawmaker’s counsel, Samoga Samudaram , said his client is confident of emerging clean from the case.
“Kanimozhi was brought to court today. She was confident and she is very confident that she will come out clean in the case. About the bail application, the court has observed that her conduct was highly dignified. That was the observation by the court because the court had seen her coming to court everyday without failing, except for one or two days when she took exemption,” Samudaram said.
Riding high on the High Court’s observation on the verdict, Samudaram said they would forward the bail plea to the higher court.
“At the moment nothing else, except the bail application before the High Court because as we sighted the judgment of the High Court where the High Court says, it is heartless of the court to issue warrant and remand a person who has appeared on summon. So, on that ground we are moving to High Court,” he said.
A special CBI court had on Friday refused to grant bail to Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV managing director Sharad Kumar citing the ‘magnitude of the crime’.
While Kanimozhi was lodged in Jail No 6, Kumar was sent to Jail No 4, which also has Commonwealth Games scam accused Suresh Kalmadi.
The CBI had claimed that Kanimozhi lobbied for Raja to become a Union Cabinet minister.
The CBI also argued that Asif Balwa, who is the director of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd was the front man in the entire scam.
The agency presented before the court, details of the Rs 200 crore transactions by the Kalaignar TV.
The CBI said that a total number of 16 bank accounts were used in the transactions. The money first came from DB Realty to Kusegaon. It then went to Cineyug Film Company from where it was routed to Kalaignar TV.
She has been named as co-conspirator in CBI’s second chargesheet in the scam.
Kanimozhi has been charged under Sections 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The chargesheet said the investigation into the case disclosed that money had travelled from DB Realty to Kalaignar TV.
The supplementary chargesheet filed by the investigating agency has also named as co-accused Sharad Kumar, Karim Morani of Cineyug Films, and Asif Balwa and Rajiv B Agarwal of Kusegaon Realty.

Karuna defends Kani, jail sentence against law

Chennai: Defending his daughter and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, who has been arrested in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday said that he asked Kanimozhi to be part of Kalaignar TV and it was not her choice. He also said that sending her and Sharath Kumar to jail was against the law.
He called Kanizmoshi’s jail sentence a vendetta against the DMK and that the party would surely win this war.
“This is a vendetta aganist DMK from Kanyakumari to the Himalayas. DMK will surely win this war,” said Karunanidhi.

Kanimozhi and former Telecom Minister A Raja appeared in the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in New Delhi on Saturday. She along with Kalaignar TV MD and CEO Sharad Kumar was taken into judicial custody and spent Friday night in Tihar jail after the court refused her bail in the 2G spectrum scam.
Kanimozhi’s mother Rajathi Ammal on Saturday broke down in the court as the MP was brought for document scrutiny. As the arrested DMK member entered the court, her mother broke into tears and hugged her. Kanimozhi’s husband G Aravinthan, her son and some other DMK members were also present in the court.
Kanimozhi had been charge sheeted by the CBI which accused her of entering into a criminal conspiracy with prime accused former Telecom Minister A Raja.
She had also been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act for taking illegal gratification through Kalaignar TV – a channel run by the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu – in which about Rs 200 crore related to the 2G scam was alleged to have been routed.
With additional information from PTI

Karuna defends Kani, jail sentence against law

Chennai: Defending his daughter and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, who has been arrested in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday said that he asked Kanimozhi to be part of Kalaignar TV and it was not her choice. He also said that sending her and Sharath Kumar to jail was against the law.
He called Kanizmoshi’s jail sentence a vendetta against the DMK and that the party would surely win this war.
“This is a vendetta aganist DMK from Kanyakumari to the Himalayas. DMK will surely win this war,” said Karunanidhi.

Kanimozhi and former Telecom Minister A Raja appeared in the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in New Delhi on Saturday. She along with Kalaignar TV MD and CEO Sharad Kumar was taken into judicial custody and spent Friday night in Tihar jail after the court refused her bail in the 2G spectrum scam.
Kanimozhi’s mother Rajathi Ammal on Saturday broke down in the court as the MP was brought for document scrutiny. As the arrested DMK member entered the court, her mother broke into tears and hugged her. Kanimozhi’s husband G Aravinthan, her son and some other DMK members were also present in the court.
Kanimozhi had been charge sheeted by the CBI which accused her of entering into a criminal conspiracy with prime accused former Telecom Minister A Raja.
She had also been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act for taking illegal gratification through Kalaignar TV – a channel run by the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu – in which about Rs 200 crore related to the 2G scam was alleged to have been routed.
With additional information from PTI

Kanimozhi to move HC for bail

Ministers held for creating unrest in Telengana


Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, May 21
Internal squabbles in Andhra Pradesh Congress hit a new low today when two warring ministers of the Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinet were arrested for creating unrest in the Telangana region.
The rivalry between Information Minister DK Aruna and Endowments Minister J Krishna Rao, both hailing from Mahaboobnagar district, took a violent turn over the issue of taking out a padayatra in support of statehood for Telangana. Aruna, accompanied by a large number of supporters, took to the streets to prevent her bte noir from entering Gadwal, her Assembly constituency. Rao was equally adamant on going ahead with his padayatra across the district over the Telangana issue.
Rao, who has been on a padayatra of Telangana districts for the past few days, locked himself up in his car and threatened to commit suicide by slitting his throat if the police made any attempt to arrest him. The police had a tough time convincing Rao to come out of his vehicle, even as his supporters raised anti-Aruna slogans. They finally arrested him from a guest house at Gadwal, amidst stiff resistance from his supporters. Simultaneously, the police also took Aruna into custody at Tummalacheruvu village, while she was on her way to her constituency headquarters to stop Rao from continuing his padayatra.
Following the arrests, the supporters of the two ministers indulged in stone-pelting and arson and forcibly enforced bandh in Gadwal, Aiza and other places in the district. Aruna, who was later released on a personal bond, contended that Rao had not informed her about his padayatra in her constituency. I represent the people of Gadwal and it is only right and as per protocol that my colleague inform me about his intention to take up padayatra in my constituency. Instead, he unilaterally decided to continue with his mission without making any effort to coordinate with me. And for me, this is not acceptable, she said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said the rivalry between the two ministers was a personal issue. Since the padayatra undertaken by Krishna Rao is a sensitive issue, I would not like to comment. However, the president of the partys state unit D Srinivas has been asked to look into the issue, he said.

Kanimozhi to move HC for bail

Ministers held for creating unrest in Telengana


Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, May 21
Internal squabbles in Andhra Pradesh Congress hit a new low today when two warring ministers of the Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinet were arrested for creating unrest in the Telangana region.
The rivalry between Information Minister DK Aruna and Endowments Minister J Krishna Rao, both hailing from Mahaboobnagar district, took a violent turn over the issue of taking out a padayatra in support of statehood for Telangana. Aruna, accompanied by a large number of supporters, took to the streets to prevent her bte noir from entering Gadwal, her Assembly constituency. Rao was equally adamant on going ahead with his padayatra across the district over the Telangana issue.
Rao, who has been on a padayatra of Telangana districts for the past few days, locked himself up in his car and threatened to commit suicide by slitting his throat if the police made any attempt to arrest him. The police had a tough time convincing Rao to come out of his vehicle, even as his supporters raised anti-Aruna slogans. They finally arrested him from a guest house at Gadwal, amidst stiff resistance from his supporters. Simultaneously, the police also took Aruna into custody at Tummalacheruvu village, while she was on her way to her constituency headquarters to stop Rao from continuing his padayatra.
Following the arrests, the supporters of the two ministers indulged in stone-pelting and arson and forcibly enforced bandh in Gadwal, Aiza and other places in the district. Aruna, who was later released on a personal bond, contended that Rao had not informed her about his padayatra in her constituency. I represent the people of Gadwal and it is only right and as per protocol that my colleague inform me about his intention to take up padayatra in my constituency. Instead, he unilaterally decided to continue with his mission without making any effort to coordinate with me. And for me, this is not acceptable, she said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said the rivalry between the two ministers was a personal issue. Since the padayatra undertaken by Krishna Rao is a sensitive issue, I would not like to comment. However, the president of the partys state unit D Srinivas has been asked to look into the issue, he said.

It was Shahbaz vs. Malik in court, while Hafiz Saeed walked free

CHENNAI: The Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab province and the federal Interior Minister blamed each other for jeopardising appeals filed by the government before the Supreme Court against the June 2009 Lahore High Court order releasing Hafiz Saeed from house arrest.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals in May 2010.
U.S. diplomatic cables, accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks, relate a telling political game of pass-the-buck between the provincial Pakistan Muslim League (N) government, and the Pakistan People's Party-led federal government over a case that neither wanted to own because it was a domestic hot potato, but were forced to take up to douse an international furore over the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Saeed, the leader of the Jamat-ud-Dawa and a founder of the Laskhar-e-Taiba, the group accused of carrying out the Mumbai attacks, was placed under house arrest after the UN Security Council designated him and three others along with the JuD under Resolution 1272 after the 26/11 terrorist strike. Six months later, on June 2, 2009, the Lahore High Court struck down the house arrest order. After four weeks and plenty of international pressure, the Pakistan government worked itself up to petition the Supreme Court against the release. The appeal was considered crucial in creating the right atmospherics ahead of the July 15, 2009 Sharm-el Shaik meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries at which they were to explore the possibility of resuming peace talks that New Delhi had put on hold since November 2008.
As the Shahbaz Sharif-led PML(N) government in Punjab had detained Saeed, it initiated the Supreme Court appeal. The federal government filed an identical but separate appeal.
But a day before the scheduled India-Pakistan meeting in Egypt on July 14, the Punjab Advocate-General withdrew his government's appeal. He told the court that the provincial government had no evidence against Mr. Saeed.
Ambassador Anne W. Patterson asked around for an explanation. According to a cable dated July 15, 2009 ( 216732: confidential), the Interior Minister told her the Punjab government “is pulling their appeal to ‘embarrass' the federal government ahead of Prime Minister Gilani's meeting with Indian Prime Miniser Manmohan Singh at Sharm-el-Sheikh [ …] Other Post contacts surmise that the PML-N is using Saeed's popularity to gain points with religious conservatives.”
The cable noted that even before the Punjab government's announcement, Provincial Home Secretary Nadeem Hassan Asif had told a U.S. official at its Lahore Consulate that the Federal Investigation Agency had provided no evidence connecting him to the Mumbai attacks. According to a cable dated July 24, 2009, Chief Minister Sharif offered a similar explanation to Matthew Lowe, the Acting Principal Officer at the U.S. in Lahore ( 218043: confidential), that the federal government had “used” the Punjab government to prosecute Mr. Saeed, “without providing any evidence or support.”
The Chief Minister, who is the younger brother of PML(N) leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told Mr. Lowe he had “requested evidence from [federal] Interior Minister Rehman Malik. ‘We have no evidence,' Malik responded. Shahbaz's frustration peaked when, after Malik promised that the Attorney General would show up in court, he failed to appear the next day. ‘At that point I ordered the withdrawal of the case,' [Sharif] stated.”
The Interior Minister “telephoned immediately, Mr. Sharif related to the U.S. official, “and pleaded with Shahbaz for Punjab to rejoin the prosecution for a few more days. ‘Malik hoped to drag on the case several more days until after the completion of the Sharm-el-Sheikh meetings,' Shahbaz opined. ‘But what kind of government is that that plays around with a serious crime? Do they think we will not meet Manmohan Singh again?' he wondered.”
For its part, the federal government denied not sharing evidence with the provincial government. In her cable Ambassador Patterson noted that Deputy Attorney-General Shah Khawar had told the U.S. Embassy Political Officer if the Punjab government did not change its mind and come back into the appeal, Saeed could be detained using the 1952 Security Act of Pakistan or the Anti-Terrorism Act
Ambassador Patterson noted that “Realizing the importance of Saeed's detention, Gilani and Malik are determined to use any law or means to keep him confined to his home. Given the JUD leader's popularity, the GOP will have to be careful to avoid the appearance of extra-judicial moves against Saeed.”
As it turned out, the Punjab government did return to the appeal in the Supreme Court. After many delays, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeals on May 25, 2010, on grounds of insufficient evidence.
Earlier, in September 2009, the federal government did slap two cases against the JuD chief under the Anti-Terrorism Act. But once again, its effort was undone because the Act applies only to banned groups; Pakistan is yet to ban the JuD. The Lahore High Court was easily persuaded to quash the cases when Saeed appealed to it.
The Pakistan Cables are being shared by The Hindu with NDTV in India and Dawn in Pakistan.

It was Shahbaz vs. Malik in court, while Hafiz Saeed walked free

CHENNAI: The Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab province and the federal Interior Minister blamed each other for jeopardising appeals filed by the government before the Supreme Court against the June 2009 Lahore High Court order releasing Hafiz Saeed from house arrest.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals in May 2010.
U.S. diplomatic cables, accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks, relate a telling political game of pass-the-buck between the provincial Pakistan Muslim League (N) government, and the Pakistan People's Party-led federal government over a case that neither wanted to own because it was a domestic hot potato, but were forced to take up to douse an international furore over the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Saeed, the leader of the Jamat-ud-Dawa and a founder of the Laskhar-e-Taiba, the group accused of carrying out the Mumbai attacks, was placed under house arrest after the UN Security Council designated him and three others along with the JuD under Resolution 1272 after the 26/11 terrorist strike. Six months later, on June 2, 2009, the Lahore High Court struck down the house arrest order. After four weeks and plenty of international pressure, the Pakistan government worked itself up to petition the Supreme Court against the release. The appeal was considered crucial in creating the right atmospherics ahead of the July 15, 2009 Sharm-el Shaik meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries at which they were to explore the possibility of resuming peace talks that New Delhi had put on hold since November 2008.
As the Shahbaz Sharif-led PML(N) government in Punjab had detained Saeed, it initiated the Supreme Court appeal. The federal government filed an identical but separate appeal.
But a day before the scheduled India-Pakistan meeting in Egypt on July 14, the Punjab Advocate-General withdrew his government's appeal. He told the court that the provincial government had no evidence against Mr. Saeed.
Ambassador Anne W. Patterson asked around for an explanation. According to a cable dated July 15, 2009 ( 216732: confidential), the Interior Minister told her the Punjab government “is pulling their appeal to ‘embarrass' the federal government ahead of Prime Minister Gilani's meeting with Indian Prime Miniser Manmohan Singh at Sharm-el-Sheikh [ …] Other Post contacts surmise that the PML-N is using Saeed's popularity to gain points with religious conservatives.”
The cable noted that even before the Punjab government's announcement, Provincial Home Secretary Nadeem Hassan Asif had told a U.S. official at its Lahore Consulate that the Federal Investigation Agency had provided no evidence connecting him to the Mumbai attacks. According to a cable dated July 24, 2009, Chief Minister Sharif offered a similar explanation to Matthew Lowe, the Acting Principal Officer at the U.S. in Lahore ( 218043: confidential), that the federal government had “used” the Punjab government to prosecute Mr. Saeed, “without providing any evidence or support.”
The Chief Minister, who is the younger brother of PML(N) leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told Mr. Lowe he had “requested evidence from [federal] Interior Minister Rehman Malik. ‘We have no evidence,' Malik responded. Shahbaz's frustration peaked when, after Malik promised that the Attorney General would show up in court, he failed to appear the next day. ‘At that point I ordered the withdrawal of the case,' [Sharif] stated.”
The Interior Minister “telephoned immediately, Mr. Sharif related to the U.S. official, “and pleaded with Shahbaz for Punjab to rejoin the prosecution for a few more days. ‘Malik hoped to drag on the case several more days until after the completion of the Sharm-el-Sheikh meetings,' Shahbaz opined. ‘But what kind of government is that that plays around with a serious crime? Do they think we will not meet Manmohan Singh again?' he wondered.”
For its part, the federal government denied not sharing evidence with the provincial government. In her cable Ambassador Patterson noted that Deputy Attorney-General Shah Khawar had told the U.S. Embassy Political Officer if the Punjab government did not change its mind and come back into the appeal, Saeed could be detained using the 1952 Security Act of Pakistan or the Anti-Terrorism Act
Ambassador Patterson noted that “Realizing the importance of Saeed's detention, Gilani and Malik are determined to use any law or means to keep him confined to his home. Given the JUD leader's popularity, the GOP will have to be careful to avoid the appearance of extra-judicial moves against Saeed.”
As it turned out, the Punjab government did return to the appeal in the Supreme Court. After many delays, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeals on May 25, 2010, on grounds of insufficient evidence.
Earlier, in September 2009, the federal government did slap two cases against the JuD chief under the Anti-Terrorism Act. But once again, its effort was undone because the Act applies only to banned groups; Pakistan is yet to ban the JuD. The Lahore High Court was easily persuaded to quash the cases when Saeed appealed to it.
The Pakistan Cables are being shared by The Hindu with NDTV in India and Dawn in Pakistan.

U.S. pushed for Pasha's India visit

‘Will show seriousness of Islamabad's intent to cooperate in 26/11 investigation'

---

‘Pakistan had publicly accepted the request to send him to New Delhi; it was important that Pasha go.'

---

— file Photo: AFP

Change of Mind: The Pakistan Army forced Prime Minister Gilani to reverse his decision to send ISI chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha (right) to India after the Mumbai attacks. CHENNAI: After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the United States urged Pakistan's highest officials to send the Inter-Services Intelligence chief to India, in order to demonstrate their seriousness in cooperating with New Delhi in the investigations.
Three days after the attacks, the U.S. also told Pakistan it was important to investigate if there was a “GoP”, or Government of Pakistan, link to the carnage in Mumbai. This is now a question to which the U.S. is seeking answers with David Headley, a Pakistani-origin American, set to claim in a Chicago court that the Mumbai attacks were guided by the ISI.
Diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks show that the U.S. tried hard to persuade Pakistan to stick to a November 28, 2008 decision to send the head of the ISI, Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, to India — but to no avail.
The cables are a window to the limits of U.S. influence in Pakistan, especially when it comes to relations with India.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had announced on November 28, 2008 after a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Lt. Gen. Pasha would go to India at the earliest for “an exchange of information” about the attacks.
But the government hastily reversed its decision after the Pakistan Army made clear it was opposed to the idea of sending the top intelligence man to India.
The cables reveal that the U.S. directly told the Army chief, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, President Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi that Lt. Gen. Pasha should go to Delhi.
According to one cable dated November 30, 2008 ( 180619: secret), during a meeting with General Kayani and Lt. Gen. Pasha on November 30, Charge d'Affaires Gerald Feierstein “urged that Kayani send Pasha to India as a sign of GOP seriousness in cooperating with the Indian investigation.”
Ambassador Anne W. Patterson was away and was to return later that day. As the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Feierstein was the Acting Ambassador. The Regional Affairs Officer (RAO) at the U.S. Embassy accompanied him to the meeting.
The Army chief, Mr. Feierstein noted, was “critical of what he considered India's rush to judgment about the details of the case, and said that as a former intelligence chief he would never have suggested that he could offer up an analysis of the events so quickly after they concluded.” Even so, “Charge pressed him several times on sending Pasha to lead the ISI delegation to India as demonstration of Pakistani seriousness.” But “Kayani was, at best, non-committal.”
The U.S. officials gave the two top Pakistan Army officials information about a Lashkar-e-Taiba individual, who the U.S. said was linked to the Deccan Mujahideen, a previously unheard of group that had claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Kayani and Pasha claimed not to recognize the name. They asked the Acting RAO for additional information on the telephone numbers related to the individual,” Mr. Feierstein noted.
The cable did not reveal the identity of the individual, and it is unclear if he was among the five persons who are currently on trial in Pakistan for their alleged involvement in the attacks.
The same unnamed individual was mentioned by Mr. Feierstein during a November 29 meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, according to a cable dated November 29, 2008 ( 180604: secret).
He “advised [the Minister] that the U.S. was passing to ISI November 29 the name of an individual in Pakistan who was associated with the attacks; he urged that Pakistan arrest this individual.”
Mr. Qureshi asked “if this information came from the U.S.” Mr. Feierstein “confirmed that it was independent information and that the individual was associated with the group responsible for the attacks.”
The U.S. official then brought up what he described as “the core issue” of whether the Government of Pakistan was directly implicated in the attacks. He told Mr. Qureshi the U.S. “had seen no direct evidence of this to date,” but that it would be “important for the GOP to investigate whether there was any linkage.”
Noting that Pakistan had publicly accepted the Indian request to send the ISI Director to New Delhi, Mr. Feierstein told Mr. Qureshi it was important that Pasha go. “If Pasha goes to India, this will be seen as a sign of GOP seriousness to carry through on its pledges of cooperation; if not, it will be seen as a retreat and will send a very negative signal.”
The U.S. official said Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice “will try to call [President Asif Ali] Zardari today and likely will deliver that same message.” He mentioned that Ambassador Patterson had delivered a similar message to Mr. Zardari in a phone call the previous night. The Pakistan Foreign Minister said he too had received a call from Assistant Secretary Boucher the previous night.
The Pakistan Cables are being shared by The Hindu with NDTV in India and Dawn in Pakistan.

U.S. pushed for Pasha's India visit

‘Will show seriousness of Islamabad's intent to cooperate in 26/11 investigation'

---

‘Pakistan had publicly accepted the request to send him to New Delhi; it was important that Pasha go.'

---

— file Photo: AFP

Change of Mind: The Pakistan Army forced Prime Minister Gilani to reverse his decision to send ISI chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha (right) to India after the Mumbai attacks. CHENNAI: After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the United States urged Pakistan's highest officials to send the Inter-Services Intelligence chief to India, in order to demonstrate their seriousness in cooperating with New Delhi in the investigations.
Three days after the attacks, the U.S. also told Pakistan it was important to investigate if there was a “GoP”, or Government of Pakistan, link to the carnage in Mumbai. This is now a question to which the U.S. is seeking answers with David Headley, a Pakistani-origin American, set to claim in a Chicago court that the Mumbai attacks were guided by the ISI.
Diplomatic cables accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks show that the U.S. tried hard to persuade Pakistan to stick to a November 28, 2008 decision to send the head of the ISI, Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, to India — but to no avail.
The cables are a window to the limits of U.S. influence in Pakistan, especially when it comes to relations with India.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had announced on November 28, 2008 after a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Lt. Gen. Pasha would go to India at the earliest for “an exchange of information” about the attacks.
But the government hastily reversed its decision after the Pakistan Army made clear it was opposed to the idea of sending the top intelligence man to India.
The cables reveal that the U.S. directly told the Army chief, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, President Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi that Lt. Gen. Pasha should go to Delhi.
According to one cable dated November 30, 2008 ( 180619: secret), during a meeting with General Kayani and Lt. Gen. Pasha on November 30, Charge d'Affaires Gerald Feierstein “urged that Kayani send Pasha to India as a sign of GOP seriousness in cooperating with the Indian investigation.”
Ambassador Anne W. Patterson was away and was to return later that day. As the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Feierstein was the Acting Ambassador. The Regional Affairs Officer (RAO) at the U.S. Embassy accompanied him to the meeting.
The Army chief, Mr. Feierstein noted, was “critical of what he considered India's rush to judgment about the details of the case, and said that as a former intelligence chief he would never have suggested that he could offer up an analysis of the events so quickly after they concluded.” Even so, “Charge pressed him several times on sending Pasha to lead the ISI delegation to India as demonstration of Pakistani seriousness.” But “Kayani was, at best, non-committal.”
The U.S. officials gave the two top Pakistan Army officials information about a Lashkar-e-Taiba individual, who the U.S. said was linked to the Deccan Mujahideen, a previously unheard of group that had claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Kayani and Pasha claimed not to recognize the name. They asked the Acting RAO for additional information on the telephone numbers related to the individual,” Mr. Feierstein noted.
The cable did not reveal the identity of the individual, and it is unclear if he was among the five persons who are currently on trial in Pakistan for their alleged involvement in the attacks.
The same unnamed individual was mentioned by Mr. Feierstein during a November 29 meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, according to a cable dated November 29, 2008 ( 180604: secret).
He “advised [the Minister] that the U.S. was passing to ISI November 29 the name of an individual in Pakistan who was associated with the attacks; he urged that Pakistan arrest this individual.”
Mr. Qureshi asked “if this information came from the U.S.” Mr. Feierstein “confirmed that it was independent information and that the individual was associated with the group responsible for the attacks.”
The U.S. official then brought up what he described as “the core issue” of whether the Government of Pakistan was directly implicated in the attacks. He told Mr. Qureshi the U.S. “had seen no direct evidence of this to date,” but that it would be “important for the GOP to investigate whether there was any linkage.”
Noting that Pakistan had publicly accepted the Indian request to send the ISI Director to New Delhi, Mr. Feierstein told Mr. Qureshi it was important that Pasha go. “If Pasha goes to India, this will be seen as a sign of GOP seriousness to carry through on its pledges of cooperation; if not, it will be seen as a retreat and will send a very negative signal.”
The U.S. official said Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice “will try to call [President Asif Ali] Zardari today and likely will deliver that same message.” He mentioned that Ambassador Patterson had delivered a similar message to Mr. Zardari in a phone call the previous night. The Pakistan Foreign Minister said he too had received a call from Assistant Secretary Boucher the previous night.
The Pakistan Cables are being shared by The Hindu with NDTV in India and Dawn in Pakistan.