In a revelation that threw some light on his apparent connections with the Pakistani establishment, incarcerated Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley told a special court on Friday that then Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had visited his residence in Pakistan in January 2009, weeks after the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, to condole the death of his father.
In one more disclosure made before the anti-terror court, Headley said at one stage lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) was toying with the idea of negotiating with the Israeli authorities for the release of the lone captured terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab against Israeli hostages in Chabad House, the Jewish outreach centre in Mumbai — better known as Nariman House — one of the 26/11 targets.
During the course of his cross-examination conducted by Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of key 26/11 conspirator Zaibuddin Ansari, alias Abu Jundal, Headley admitted that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did question him about Ishrat Jahan but denied that he had taken the name of the slain girl with alleged leT links at the behest of the NIA.
Headley, the 26/11 conspirator who turned approver in Jundal’s trial in December last year after the Mumbai court pardoned him in the case, also denied that Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and Mumbai Crime Branch chief Atul Kulkarni had met him in the United States ahead of his deposition before the Mumbai court through video-conferencing from the US.
On the third day of his cross-examination held in the court of special Judge GA Sanap, 56-year-old Headley said his father passed away on December 25, 2008, nearly a month after the November 25-30, 2008, attacks on Mumbai and that Gilani visited his residence in Pakistan to condole the death of his father a few weeks later.
Asked if it was correct that then Prime Minister Gilani had attended his father funeral, Headley said, “It is not correct to say that then Prime Minister Gilani had attended the funeral of my father. In fact, he (Gilani) visited our house (in Pakistan) a few weeks thereafter”.
Headley added that he nursed a hatred towards India and Indians since December 1971 when his school was bombed by Indian fighter planes during India-Pakistan war which saw the creation of Bangladesh.
“I have this hatred... towards Indian since December 7, 1971... When Indian planes had bombed my school... The school was destroyed and many people who worked there had died,” Headley claimed.
The childhood incident when he was barely 10-year-old left such an imprint on his tender mind that Headley decided to join the leT later to avenge the bombing of his school.
He admitted that it was one of the reasons why he joined the leT years later. On whether his late father — who retired as the Director General of Pakistan Radio — knew of his links with the leT, Headley replied in the affirmative. “Yes, I told him... But he did not like it,” he said. Queried if his “half-brother” Daniel also worked in Pakistani establishment, Headley said,
“Just refer to him as my brother, not half.”
On whether it was true that Danial had known about his links with the leT, Headley merely said he and his brother were not living in the same city (of Pakistan).
Headley, who is currently serving a 35-year sentence in a terror case in a US jail following a plea bargain that saved him from death sentence and extradition, denied having used Daniel’s mobile phone during his visit to Pakistan ahead of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai.
When the defence lawyer about his another brother Hamza Headley said, “He is my brother”. Asked if he knew of his links with leT, he said, “Very little.” On whether Hamza was aware of 26/11, he said, “Only after the attacks”.
Headley said he disclosed to Hamza about his involvement in the Mumbai, six months after the attacks — that was sometime before his March 2009 visit to India.
Responding to another question, Headley said his friend Shaukat Rana was aware of his leT links. Queried whether Rana had accompanied him to 26/11 targets, Headley said, “No…to attack India why should I visit Pakistan.”
During the course of the cross-examination, Jundal’s lawyer asked Headley if his leT handler Sajid Mir told him that one of the terrorists (Kasab) has been arrested. “Yes” came the swift reply from Headley.
Headley also replied in the affirmative when he was asked whether Mir had instructed one of the terrorists in Chabad House to negotiate with the Israeli authorities and trade hostages for the lone captured terrorist in the 26/11 attacks Mohammed Ajmal Kasab.
On whether Mir had asked him to get in touch with the officials of the US embassy, Headley said, “How is it possibleIJ I was in lahore then.” He also went onto deny that he was in touch with Mir during the course of the attacks on Mumbai.
Asked whether he was present in the control room in Karachi during the attacks, Headley replied, “I have already answered this question”. The defence lawyer asked him if he was giving instructions to the terrorists in Mumbai from the control room, he said, “There are voice samples, it can be checked…I am ready to give my voice samples. It’s very easy”.
Responding to a question, Headley added he wanted the Pakistan Government to confer Nishan-e-Haider, the highest gallantry award, to the nine fidayeens who were killed during the 26/11 attacks.
Headley — who during the course of his first round of deposition before the special court from February 8 to 13 had said Ishrat Jahan was a member of leT -- vehemently denied that he had taken the name of Ishrat at the behest of the NIA.
Queried whether the NIA had interrogated him about Ishrat, Headley replied in the affirmative. On whether the NIA officials had told him that she had been killed in an encounter, he said, “No they did not.” Asked whether the NIA officials asked him to take Ishrat’s name, Headley responded: “For what purpose.”
Jundal’s lawyer Abdul Khan asked if he had been treated for any mental illness, Headley replied in the negative and said in lighter vein,”Yeh kya kya cheeze mere khaate mein daal rahe hain Wahab saab. Nahin, aisa koi wakya nahin hua (Wahab saab, what all things are you ascribing to me...nothing of this sort happened).”
Headley also denied that he had ever worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and because of this he was favoured during the plea bargain.
On whether he had been in touch with US agencies from 1988 to 2008 and whether they were funding his trips to Pakistan, he said, “No, I deny your case”.
Queried if the US agencies had known about his links with leT and whether he was translating intercepts in Punjabi into English for the former, Headley said, “That’s ridiculous”.
“The same answer,” he said, when he was asked that escaped even life imprisonment because of his association with FBI.
Headley also denied that he was getting “luxurious treatment” in the US jail.
When the defence lawyer asked Headley whether he has been given “conjugal access”, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam intervened and said the question had no relevance to the Mumbai attacks case. Additional Sessions Judge GA Sanap also pulled up Jundal’s lawyer saying, “Don’t cross limits during cross-examination.”