India readies another dossier for Pakistan

NEW DELHI (Agencies) - With Pakistan initiating a probe on the evidence provided by India on the Mumbai attacks, New Delhi is considering giving more material to Islamabad on the involvement of Pakistani elements in the strikes, including DNA samples of lone surviving gunman Ajmal Kasab, reported CNN-IBN and Press Trust of India (PTI) on Sunday. The second dossier is also likely to name Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah as conspirators of the Mumbai carnage in the chargesheet and furnish details as to how they planned the attacks and trained the attackers. The DNA samples and fingerprints of Kasab, which have already been collected by the investigators as part of efforts to prove that he is a Pakistani national, are likely to be handed over to Pakistan soon, sources said. Sources further said DNA samples are admissible as evidence to determine identity in Pakistani anti-terrorism court. This is to enable the Pakistani authorities to match the sample with his father and establish his Pakistani identity, they said. The DNA samples were not given to Pakistan when the first dossier was handed over to it on January 5, as India was not sure whether Islamabad would pursue the leads given. Islamabad has said it will undertake prosecutions in Pakistan only and not hand over anybody to India. Earlier, India had provided Pakistan evidence about linkages in that country to the Mumbai attacks. The evidence includes Kasab's interrogation, details of satellite phone used by the attackers and other material recovered from them. India expects Interpol to issue red corner notice against the two Lashkar leaders. Meanwhile, India can expect more terror attacks like the Mumbai carnage from "Pakistan-based terrorist groups" with high body counts and symbolic targets in an escalating terror campaign in South Asia, a study by a leading US think-tank has warned. "India will continue to face a serious jihadist threat from Pakistan-based terrorist groups, and neither Indian nor US policy is likely to reduce that threat in the near future," said Angel Rabasa, lead author of the study and a senior political scientist with RAND Corporation, a non-profit research organisation. "Other extremist groups in Pakistan likely will find inspiration in the Mumbai attacks, and we can expect more attacks with high body counts and symbolic targets." The Mumbai terrorist attacks suggest the possibility of a rise of a strategic terrorist culture, the study said. The RAND study identifies the operational and tactical features of the attack, evaluates the response of Indian security forces, and analyses the implications for India, Pakistan and the United States.

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