Pak may not seek consular access to Kasab: Report

Islamabad, Jan 8 (PTI) Pakistan may not seek consular
access to Ajmal Amir Iman 'Kasab', the lone terrorist captured
during the Mumbai attacks, despite acknowledging that he is
its national as he has damaged the country's image "like no
other," a media report said Thursday.

"We are not yet sure when to ask for consular access. We
may not ask for it. He is involved in a heinous crime," an
unnamed senior official told 'Dawn' newspaper.

The terrorist had damaged Pakistan "like no other," the
official said when asked about the issue of Islamabad seeking
consular access to Kasab following yesterday's admission by
the government that he is a Pakistani national.

After being in constant denial mode, Pakistani officials,
including Information Minister Sherry Rehman and Foreign
Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq, Wednesday finally admitted
that Kasab is a Pakistani national.

Kasab has written a letter to the Pakistan government
asking that he be provided consular access and legal aid.
Pakistani authorities had earlier said they were examining
Kasab's request.

An unnamed "high-ranking government official" was quoted
by Dawn as saying that the preliminary investigation had
provided enough information to conclude that Kasab was "from a
Punjab village (in Pakistan), and perhaps belonged to a
militant group that was bent upon destabilising the region by
undermining the (India-Pakistan) peace process".

The official said Pakistani authorities "were examining
all parts of the puzzle on the basis of their own
investigation, as well as the information provided by India
and the Americans".

The official said that there was no doubt in the minds of
Pakistani investigators that Kasab is a Pakistani. "Sadly, it
has been established that Kasab is a Pakistani national."

Pakistan's Interior Ministry and police launched
investigations to ascertain Kasab's nationality soon after
initial reports said that he is a Pakistani national.

The authorities wanted to be "doubly sure" about his
identity because there were no records of Kasab and his family
with the National Database and Registration Authority, he
report said.

The senior official also told the Dawn that the identity
of other terrorists killed in Mumbai is yet to be established.

Senior security officials said their preliminary
investigations had established the militants were "operating
on their own and had absolutely no link with any section of
the country's security apparatus".

A top ranking Western diplomat was also quoted by the
newspaper as saying that there "was no linkage between the
terrorists who carried out the Mumbai carnage and the
Pakistani security agencies, particularly the Inter-Services
Intelligence.

"There is ample evidence to prove that most of the
terrorists belonged to Pakistan," the diplomat said. "But
there is not even a shred of evidence to suggest that the ISI
or any other Pakistani intelligence agency had any links with
these terrorists.

"And this is not based on what the Pakistanis have been
telling us, as we have double checked it on our own," the
unnamed diplomat was quoted as saying. PTI