RAW staged Mumbai attacks through non-state actors: Rehman Malik

ISLAMABAD: Former Interior Minister Senator Rehman Malik held India responsible for the Mumbai attacks, saying the incident had been engineered to divert world attention from the violation of human rights in Kashmir.

“My press conference is neither aimed at political point-scoring nor against any individual and political party but to keep the facts before the nation and world as Pakistan as state had no involvement in Mumbai attacks but it was Indian agency RAW which carried out Mumbai attacks to defame Pakistan globally which we failed,” he said while addressing a press conference here Monday.

He termed the statement of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as highly irresponsible and said that as a former Interior Minister and citizen of the Pakistan, it is his right and duty to clarify some misconceptions. “Nawaz statement is contrary to the facts as state was never involved in Mumbai attacks. The government extended full support to India to investigate the incident thoroughly but unfortunately India neither had shared anything with Pakistan nor answered the 35 questions which the government of Pakistan had asked,” he said.

He said Nawaz could not differentiate between a state and non-state actor adding a non-state actor is the one who works and operates independently from the government. Indian agent Kulbushan Jadav who was guilty of killing many innocent Pakistanis inside Pakistan was a state actor sent by RAW while Ajmal Kasab and David Headley were non-state actors who actually worked for Indian agency RAW.

Senator Malik said that his previous statements are on the record that he has always maintained that these attacks were the sting operation of Indian agency RAW adding that many times he had asked the then Interior Minister of India at to provide evidences against the accused persons but India failed to provide evidence against Hafiz Saeed and others.

He said the controversial statement made by thrice elected prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif is highly irresponsible and contrary to facts.

He said, “We have all the documentary proofs of how RAW had recruited private handlers, how they were trained in Pakistan and then how they were provided with all the logistic support in reaching their destination. The trial could have been completed but India was never ready to share any evidence with Pakistan.”

He said he would like to ask from Nawaz when he was Prime Minister and knew about the case, why didn’t he disclose this information if it was factual and real? Why did not he share any such information with his Indian counterpart if he had such a big heart, asked Malik.

He said that he sincerely advise Nawaz to withdraw this statement and tender apology from the nation because it is a highly irresponsible, immature and damaging statement from a person who had been Prime Minister of the country for three times.

He said Nawaz statement can bring irreparable loss to the country image when Pakistan is under observation to be included in grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and is being blamed for terror-financing.

He said that India will exploit Nawaz statement against Pakistan at international level. “For the sake of country nothing is wrong if Nawaz Sharrif comes on television and clarifies that he was misinformed about the incident and had no knowledge of difference between the state and non-actor and their roles, said Senator Malik.

He said what would be the answer of Nawaz Sharif if United Nation (UN) and FATF call him to prove his statement about Mumbai attacks as most probably India will be taking his statement in international courts and organisations against Pakistan. It was absolutely unwise at his part to put the country in a difficult situation.

David Headely (Daood Syed Gilani), a Pakistani US national, born and brought up in USA, had carried out the recce of the targets in Indian and was part of this plan. He acted as chief coordinator of this act of terrorism, said Malik.

“My claim that the Mumbai attack was in fact orchestrated by Indian RAW with the support of certain foreign countries has now been corroborated by Elias Davidsson in his 800-page book titled ‘The Betrayal of India: (A Close Look at the 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks)’. Davidsson has explicitly claimed that it was a ‘false flag’ operation by Indian agencies,” he said.