Train blasts' hawala trail leads to Pak

NEW DELHI: The question of how hard the evidence on Pakistani agencies’ involvement in the 7/11 Mumbai blasts might finally be answered. According to sources in the government, the evidence is not limited to intercepts alone but includes clinching details like the transfer of hawala funds from Pakistani sources to the accused as well as records proving that one of the accused had visited Pakistan.

Sources say this “solid” evidence is likely to be placed before Islamabad at the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks to be held here next month.

The facts and figures available with the government are seen as enough to nail Pakistan for its terror linkages: be it the confirmation of the accused having been trained in camps run by Azeem Cheema—the LeT no 3 man—in Bahawalpur, or a verification of the addresses of their Pakistani accomplices provided by the accused.

The successful narco-analysis test on the accused and the videography of their confessions, made in the presence of DCP, is also being projected as adding to the evidence on Pakistan’s complicity. However, it is yet to be seen if it passes muster in the Special MCOCA court hearing the 7/11 blasts case.

A passport seized from one of those arrested in connection with the blasts, clearly includes an entry of travel to Pakistan in 2004. Given the kind of meticulous coordination that goes on between the Pakistan-based terror masterminds and those executing the attacks here, the particular visit is seen as a “clinching” evidence of terror linkages across the border.

With the investigators also having failed to establish the source of huge sums of money found on the accused, their transfer was traced to hawala channels found to have originated from Pakistan.

The accused had, during their interrogation, admitted to having received these funds from Pakistani agencies as a consideration for bombing the local trains. The agencies are convinced that these hawala funds were pumped into the country by the ISI to carry out the 7/11 attack.

At the upcoming foreign secretary level talks, India will lay bare before Islamabad the “credible” evidence of its agencies’ involvement in the terror plot targetted against Indian civilians. The same has already been placed before a CIA delegation who came visiting last week: authorities here have described the US’ response as positive an encouraging.