'Osama healthy, giving orders'
The world's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden is 'healthy' and 'giving orders' to deputies in al-Qaeda, according to a Pakistani-origin taxi driver arrested by FBI here on charges of providing funds to the terror outfit. A 35-page complaint affidavit against Raja Lahrasib Khan, arrested yesterday for allegedly providing material support to terrorism and funds to al-Qaeda, gives details of conversations recorded between him and an undercover law enforcement agent about his association with al-Qaeda operative Ilyas Kashmiri, also the chief of HuJI.
In conversations taped on February 23 between Khan and the undercover agent, the 56-year-old taxi driver claims that Kashmiri, whom he addresses as "Lala" told him that bin Laden is "healthy...perfect". "... I asked the Lala about him (Osama). And he (Kashmiri) says he's (Osama) healthy, he's leading," according to the affidavit against Khan submitted in a court here.
Khan goes on to say that he thought bin Laden was "sick" or "shaheed" but Kashmiri "says no... He's perfect, healthy, and he's leading and he's giving the orders ... he's OK, he's in safe hands. That's what; Lala said to me, you know..." Later in a conversation around March 17, the undercover agent met Khan and an 'Individual B' at a restaurant here.
During this meeting, Khan told the agent that he knew Kashmiri worked for al-Qaeda because he had asked him about "the big Lala. Osama..." Khan asked Kashmiri if Osama was "alive or is he shaheed". "He (Kashmiri) said no, he's OK. Alhamdulillah (praise to God) he's healthy and...he is commanding everything," according to the conversation.
Khan also told the undercover agent that though he had never met bin Laden "personally", he wanted to meet him. "... Osama bin Laden. I never met... I want (to) meet him ... I wanna see him. Before the, even the war start, I was going to Pakistan. But then 9/11 happens, and I didn't go". Khan said bin Laden gives orders to Kashmiri, "then Kashmiri gives the order to 'mujahideen'... al-Qaeda and Taliban".
In another conversation, Khan said, "I love that Osama bin Laden, he says the last 50 years we have been, tasting... now America will taste that," and Americans will feel the pain they have been feeling. Claiming that he has known Kashmiri for 15 years and has met him "face-to-face" several times, Khan said "I, I, I pray help our brother Kashmiri all the time, you know... he be alive, you know, because... he's the main key... he's the main key. After Osama bin Laden".
The affidavit against Khan also provides details about plans to send funds to Kashmiri for purchasing weapons and his links with al-Qaeda. Kashmiri has been named along with Pakistan-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley and co-accused Tahawwur Hussain in an FBI indictment that charges them with supporting terrorism.
Gandhinagar, March 27 (IANS) Eight years after communal riots left over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead in Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi was Saturday questioned by a Supreme Court-appointed probe panel for the first time over his alleged complicity in not doing enough to stop the carnage. Modi chose to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) without a lawyer but took a four-hour long break in between to consult Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley, a Supreme Court advocate, who is also leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, party sources told IANS. Jaitley had flown here especially for the day.
As he emerged after a five-hour questioning, Modi said he was abiding by the Indian constitution and law which are 'supreme'. 'The Indian law and constitution are supreme. As a citizen and as the chief minister, I am bound by the constitution and the law. Nobody is above the law,' Modi, wearing his trademark crisp white kurta and pyjama, told reporters. The chief minister was probed following a complaint by Zakia Jaffri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jaffri killed in the riots, that the chief minister was party to the 2002 widespread violence that swept Gujarat following a train burning in Godhra that killed 59 people in 2002.
The SIT is believed to have based most of its questions on some of the issues raised by Zakia in her 100-page petition to the Supreme Court. According to sources, privy to the SIT questioning, some of the questions asked were:
- Did you give a Gujarat shutdown call following the Godhra incident?
- Who sent ministers to police control rooms during the riots? (Some ministers were alleged to have taken over the control rooms in Gujarat stopping police from taking any action)
- What happened at the Feb 27, 2002 meeting held by the chief minister and other senior officers for review of the situation following the Godhra train burning?
- Do you know about calls made by Ehsan Jaffri to your office? (The Congress leader had reportedly called up the chief minister's office several times for help after his house was surrounded by rioters)
Zakia has alleged that Modi and his administration aided and abetted the rioters in Ahmedabad's Gulberg Society where over 60 people were burnt to death. The victims included Jaffri.
The first phase of the questioning went on for over five hours. SIT's A.K. Malhotra, an additional director general of police, led the questioning. Probe panel chief R.K. Raghavan was not present. The questioning was to resume after 9 p.m. and Modi said he wanted the process to end Saturday.
The chief minister said the SIT was made up of officers from outside Gujarat. 'They are clearly working under the direction of the Supreme Court.' Modi, one of the top leaders of the BJP, appeared unperturbed though he had been evading being questioned over the riots. 'I have spoken at length with the SIT. My conduct should be a fitting reply to my critics.'
Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily said it was 'unfortunate' for a chief minister to be in a situation like that. 'It is most unfortunate that Modi landed himself in that kind of a situation. It is not desirable but unfortunately it has happened,' Moily said. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) asked Modi to step down on moral grounds.
'There is no justification for him to continue as the chief minister. He should resign on moral grounds,' CPI-M leader M.K. Pandhe said. Social activist Teesta Setalvald, who has been fighting for the riot victims, said: 'It was an important day for democracy and rule of law when a sitting chief minister has been forced to appear before an inquiry team after various attempts to block justice.'
