Pak claims no record of Ajmal in its national database

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, which faces accusations of being in constant denial mode after the Mumbai terror attacks, on Tuesday claimed it had no record of Ajmal Amir Iman, the lone captured terrorist, but promised to respond by tomorrow to his letter seeking legal assistance from it.

An examination of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Pakistan's national database, had provided no records on any national named Ajmal Amir Iman alias Ajmal Kasab, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters.

"As far as Ajmal Kasab is concerned, NADRA authorities do not have any records of his," Malik said after a meeting with visiting Interpol chief Ronald K Noble here.

Islamabad has not acknowledged that Kasab is Pakistani and has said it is waiting for proof of his citizenship. In an embarrassment to the Pakistani government, former premier Nawaz Sharif said last week Kasab is of Pakistani origin.

"Pakistan's High Commission (in New Delhi) has received a letter said to be written by Kasab and we will get it examined by our experts. We will give a detailed response today or tomorrow," Malik said. Kasab has written that all the gunmen involved in the November 26 attack came from Pakistan,

In the letter, a copy of which was sent to Malik yesterday by the Pakistan High Commission, Kasab had detailed the circumstances of his arrest and sought legal assistance from the Pakistan government.

Malik claimed that the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), the banned terrorist group blamed for the Mumbai attacks, did not "exist now" and the government would decide on proscribing its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) if investigations proved it was involved in terrorist activities.