26/11 Attacks: India Hands Over 4th Dossier to PakIistan

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs handed over a seven-page dossier to Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner to India Rifat Masood on Mumbai attacks on Saturday. Meanwhile, Home Minister P Chidambaram clarified that Pakistan had been given enough proof to prosecute Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed for his involvement in Mumbai terror attacks.

The 4th dossier, prepared by the Home Ministry, aims at clarifying Pakistan’s specific doubts.

The seven-page dossier, comprising 60 pages of annexures, reportedly contains records of calls made to Mumbai attackers, and lone captured 26/11 terrorist, Ajmal Amir Kasab’s statements made in court.

The material contains "detailed information" about the investigation and legal evidence regarding the 26/11 attacks carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit, sources said.

In the meantime, Chidambaram, while releasing his ministry’s monthly report at a press conference, said the dossiers handed over by India to Pakistan on the 26/11 attacks had sufficient evidence to nail Saeed.

Responding to reporters’ queries on other issues, Chidambaram described the situation in West Bengal’s Maoist-infested area Lalgarh as still “unstable”. The Home Minister said he had discussed with the state chief minister the urgency to hand over the control of security to state police as soon as possible so that paramilitary forces deployed there could be moved out.

Responding to a question on China’s massive effort to improve infrastructure along the border with India, Chidambaram said “we are trying to catch up,” while admitting India was lagging behind as compared to Beijing.

Commenting on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the minister said amendments to the act were being readied.

“We are looking at limiting the application of AFSPA, something which would evolve over a period of time in consultation with the state government,” he added.

Asked whether he had tried to defend Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the recent sex scandal controversy, Chidambaram said he was merely quoting from a CBI report.

The CBI report based on thorough investigations had named 17 accused which did not include the name of the J&K CM, he stated.

Asked to comment on the recent bribery scam involving National Commission for SC/ST chairman Buta Singh and his son, Chidambaram said he had nothing to say as he does not have a report as yet on the issue.

On the issue of Gujarat passing the anti-terror bill GUJCOC for a second time without implementing the changes as suggested by the President, Chidambaram said his ministry would go by the “last expression of the mind of the Parliament”.

The Parliament’s last expression were the amendments carried out to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Chidambaram said, adding if any state bill is in contradiction to it, the Home Ministry can’t have a favourable view on it.