Hafiz Saeed ..... dominates the discourse without any result ..... difficult for Pakistan to annoy him

http://t.co/OGl9dPou

http://t.co/l9AKAa63

Shinde nails Pak lie on Hafiz Saeed's arrest in 26/11 case

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Dec 18, 2012, 02.56AM IST 

Documents provided by Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik show that Hafiz Saeed (second from right) was never arrested for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's claim that it had "arrested" 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks has turned to be incorrect as the Lashkar-e-Taiba chief was picked up for unrelated cases and Islamabad hoodwinked India by concealing these facts. 

Indian officials belatedly realized that they were taken for a ride when they examined documents given to them on Saeed by the delegation led by Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik that was recently in India. 

"We had been given to understand by the interior minister of Pakistan that Mr Hafiz Saeed had been arrested on the charges of being a part of the conspiracy for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks," home minister Sushilkumar Shinde told Parliament on Monday. 

"From the papers given to us, it is clear that the detentions of Shri Hafiz Saeed in the aforesaid cases were for other reasons and not for his role as a conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Therefore, I can only say that Rehman Malik appears to have been misinformed in the matter," Shinde added. 

The home minister, incidentally, referred to Saeed in Parliament using honorifics like 'Mr' and 'Shri' that prompted BJP leaders to object to the courtesies being shown to a terror accused. 

The documents -- including FIRs against Saeed and Pakistani court orders exonerating him -- show the Lashkar chief was arrested once in 2002 and twice in 2009. Even the two FIRs against him registered post-26/11 do not mention anything in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks. 

The two FIRs were registered in Faisalabad when the UN Security Council passed a resolution banning the Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa after categorizing it as a terror organization. The cases were dismissed by the Lahore High Court because the Punjab (Pakistan) assembly did not ratify the UN resolution. The court went by the Punjab assembly's stand. 

The documents, shared for the first time with India, also show that the court took note of local media reports saying LeT did not exist in 2002 as evidence in dismissing the case against Saeed. The Pakistan government did not take a stand on any of the three cases and did not appeal the orders. The first time, Saeed was taken into preventive custody while there was no follow-up action on his second arrest. In the third arrest, he was let off by court which found faults in the FIR. 

The portion nailing Pakistan's lie over Saeed was originally not part of Shinde's statement which was prepared on Sunday night. Rajya Sabha MPs got the additional page only after the home minister read it. Usually, papers comprising a written statement are distributed to MPs while the minister is either reading it or is about to read. 

Officials in the home ministry said the Pakistani delegation handed over documents on Saeed to them only before it headed for Delhi airport for its return journey on Sunday evening. After examining the papers on Monday morning, officials realized how they had been misled by Islamabad. 

The fudge is not surprising as Saeed is feted by Pakistan's military establishment and the government is not inclined to act against him. 

Shinde also said, "During my talks with him (Malik), he stated that if we desire, he will give us the FIRs and the judgments pertaining to the three occasions when Hafiz Saeed was arrested and let off by the courts. When we pursued this matter, they have given us papers pertaining to the detentions of Saeed in 2002 and 2009." 

Officials believe misrepresenting facts on earlier occasions might have been done by Pakistan deliberately as it does not want to appear to be taking action against Saeed who is a key figure in the country's ISI-LeT nexus for waging proxy war against India. 

They said Malik gave "lame excuses" for not acting against Saeed and the Indian side believes the LeT boss will continue to roam free in Pakistan and indulge in anti-India rhetoric. The visiting delegation had also contended that there was a court ruling on a petition by Saeed's wife Memoona who had submitted that he had left LeT in 2001.................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDEyLzEyLzE4I0FyMDA4MDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

AND

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JUFUvMjAxMi8xMi8xOCNBcjAwOTAw&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom 

Quite a late reaction ....... and that too after his departure .... Rehman Malik had indeed a very good time in India

http://t.co/xwi7tT9b

Home secretary dismisses Malik’s comment that Jundal was an Indian agent

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Dec 17, 2012, 04.25AM IST 

NEW DELHI: Immediately after Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik flew back, a furious India rejected his claim that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Abu Jundal was an operative of an Indian intelligence agency and dismissed it as a "ridiculous" remark. 

"Such a statement is ridiculous. Jundal was working with the LeT on Pakistan's soil when the Mumbai terror attack was carried out," home secretary R K Singh told TOI, waiting just enough for the diplomatic nicety of seeing Malik leave. 

Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who avoided holding a press conference with Malik as Parliament is on, may make a more elaborate statement on the issue as well as the outcome of Malik's visit in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha either on Monday or Tuesday. 

Malik had first made his remark on Jundal to TOI in an interview. Hours after his comments appeared in TOI, he elaborated on it while delivering a lecture at a think tank on Sunday. Calling Jundal a "double agent", he said the LeT terrorist had admitted being a "source of an elite Indian intelligence agency in his statement given in Saudi Arabia post his detention (early this year)". 

"Now, see, he has used agencies also and went rogue. Put it another way, you become a source, you become a double agent. While he is working, living in India, he might have gone rogue and then these three individuals (Jundal, Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed) go to Pakistan," Malik said, while drawing a parallel between Jundal and American Lashkar terrorist of Pakistani origin David Headley who had worked for US intelligence agency before turning to the ISI-sponsored Pakistan-based terror outfit. 

The remark, as expected, outraged home ministry officials, considering Pakistan went to great lengths to block Jundal's deportation from Saudi Arabia. Pakistan's diplomats had even told Saudi authorities that Jundal was a Pakistani, citing the passport and the national identity number issued to him. 

On Malik's remark that Indian agencies could have prevented the Mumbai terror attack, home ministry officials said the main issue was that the Mumbai terror attack was conceived and planned and directed from Pakistan. 

Pakistan did not take any action against these terrorist elements when the plan was being conceived and put into effect, they said, adding even after the Mumbai terror attack when full facts were known to the world, Pakistan was hesitating to take action against key conspirators and key operatives. 

Malik had told TOI, "Abu Jundal is an Indian. We are also curious as to how he and others landed in Pakistan. He was a known criminal. He worked as a source of an Indian intelligence agency. I am not saying this. He himself has said so. I have seen records."....................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JSC8yMDEyLzEyLzE3I0FyMDA5MDI=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

With Rehman Malik ...... a parting shot ...... quite an experience

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http://t.co/MdjlgUhu

We have to forget that India and Pakistan are enemies. We are not forgetting 26/11: Rehman Malik

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Dec 16, 2012, 09.04PM IST 

Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik, who flown back on Sunday, thinks both the countries have moved much beyond merely sharing 'dossiers' on fugitives and key 26\11 accused. He says a lot of investigation has been done at Islamabad's end which could soon see conviction of the conspirators. During his short visit of less than 48 hours, he had not only ruffled many feathers by touching usual 'irritants' but also extended his wish-lists which he considers important for carrying forward friendly relationship. He wants India to do away with 'police reporting' clause in visa system. In an interview to TOI, he expressed his desire for a kind of relationship where citizens from both sides can even travel across the border (Wagah\Attari) in their private cars having smart cards and GPRS system to certain restricted areas. 

Excerpts: 

Q. Both the countries had signed the new visa agreement over three months ago. India was ready to implement it in October. What is the reason for this delay in implementing it from Pakistan's side? How will the liberalized visasystem be beneficial? 

A. Even we were eager to implement it quickly. I had to come (for the launch of the agreement) but I could not come earlier. Secondly, if you are going to implement certain agreement, you have to set up a mechanism for this. I wanted to approve registered travel agents under ITTA (International Travel and Tourist Agency) guidelines as I did not want to face the charge of favouring certain operators. All these took time. The new visa regime will increase people-to-people contact which is a prerequisite to remove misunderstandings. 

Q. What other steps you think are important to facilitate more people-to-people contract and travel to each other's country? 

A. As a next step, I have even suggested during meetings that we should even do away with the system of 'police reporting' clause in visa. I don't think it is important to carry on with such a system in this electronic age where tracking of each-other nationals through computerized immigration checking system has become much easier. There is a suggestion from my side that we should reach a point where citizens from both sides can even travel across the border (Wagah\Attari) in their private cars having smart (security) cards and GPRS system to certain restricted areas. 

Q. Your remark that both the countries should forget the past and move on to bring an era of peace and friendship for future generations is appreciated but at the same time it also raises a question whether Pakistan only wants to forget 26\11 and Kargil. Why can't it move further back in the past and forget Kashmir and UN resolution on it? 

A. We have to forget that India and Pakistan are enemies. We are converging on Kashmir. It is a part of composite dialogue between the two countries. We are not forgetting 26/11. I never said forget the incidents. I said forget feeling of animosity. Let's create an era of brightness. I have found great hope between people of both the countries. Incidents are happening because we were not every close. 

Q. There doesn't appear to be any progress on the ground despite promises made by Pakistan on anti-terror measures. How can you expect progress in other fields? 

A. How many things have happened after Bombay blasts (Mumbai terror attack)? Whenever India has said it suspected some area we have searched and even shared information. Intelligence to intelligence, ministry to ministry, government to government...everybody is interacting. With interaction comes friendship. All incidents that are happening can be averted with friendship. You are spending millions we are spending millions (on security). We have to fight poverty and extremism. At government level, we have done many things. Now people-to people contact will clear misunderstandings. We have created a situation for this now. 

Q. People keep hearing about dossier on Hafiz Saeed (LeT chief and one of the key 26\11 conspirators). Pakistan appears to be reluctant to get to the bottom of the conspiracy behind the terror attack specifically when all evidence are there on Pakistani soil. Why there is no progress? 

A. We have move quite a far from dossier. We have done investigation which even your agencies have appreciated. We have done the investigation and submitted it to our Court where the trial is going on. The Court had formed the Judicial Commission. I have to follow my Court. My Court says until and unless and I repeat until and unless the witnesses are cross-examined they cannot proceed further. I can say with certainty that the trial would have been completed by now if the Judicial Commission from Pakistan had been allowed to cross-examine the four crucial Indian witnesses in the Mumbai attack case when it had visited India (in March, 2012). With the Indian government agreeing to let in the Commission visit Mumbai and cross-examine the witnesses "very soon", the trial in Pakistan (of Lashkar commander Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi and six other accused) would be concluded swiftly. 

Q. You must have discussed these issues when you met Indian delegation here. Would you please spell out those details? 

A. I have discussed many things and raised certain issues. I told them that India should share all the details of investigation done at its end...Abu Jundal (who had coordinated the Mumbai terror strikes of Ajmal Kasab and nine other Laskhar terrorists from the Karachi control room) is an Indian. We are also curious as to how he and others landed in Pakistan. He was a known criminal. He worked as a source of an Indian intelligence agency. I am not saying this. He himself has said so. I have seen records...We have to figure out all these...whether non-state actors from the two sides are acting at the instance of a third power. You are aware that things had taken an alarming turn, with both countries massing their troops on the border. Things would have been worse if the leadership on both sides had not shown maturity. 

Q. You remarks on Babri Masjid drew lot of attention. A cross-section of people thinks you shouldn't have raised India's internal matter. Your remarks mentioning 9\11, 26\11, Samjhauta Express blasts and Babri Masjid demolition issue in the same breath created unease even among those who are strongly advocating for peace between the two countries. What you have to say about this? 

A. There is no comparison, whatsoever, between Babri mosque demolition and 26/11 attacks. Babri mosque was actually ethnic. It was a sectarian strife... It should not be taken in a negative way. I have no intention to interfere in the inter-faith matter. Pakistan itself is a victim of inter-faith clashes, sectarian strife. There have been Shia-Sunni clashes in Pakistan. My intention was not to create confusion but sound caution to the both countries. I am not a kind of person who would interfere in somebody's religion or inter-faith matters but a person who goes out and leads on issues of communal harmony. So, I said like the incidents of 9/11, people dying in Quetta, our Shia and Sunni people are being killed in Karachi. I (had) also said incidents like Mumbai blasts, Babri Masjid case, I am repeating it here and please do not take it in a negative way, we do not want that these things should happen in any region of India and Pakistan. Religious violence often leads to extremism and every efforts should be made to check it.........................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTIvMTcjQXIwMTEwMQ==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

December 14 - 16: Malik's yet another punch ..... He gave enough reasons to his host to regret his decision to invite him ..... a diplomatic blunder

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Jundal is an Indian operative: Rehman Malik

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Dec 15, 2012, 10.44PM IST 

"Abu Jundal is an Indian. We are also curious as to how he and others landed in Pakistan. He was a known criminal. He worked as a source of an Indian intelligence agency," Malik said in an exclusive conversation with the TOI.

NEW DELHI: A day after he offended his hosts by seeking to draw a comparison between Babri demolition and Mumbai terror attack, Rehman Malik was at it again on Saturday. The visiting interior minister festered India's 26/11 wound by saying that Abu Jundal, who had coordinated the terror strikes of Ajmal Kasab and nine other Laskhar terrorists from the Karachi control room, worked for an Indian intelligence agency.

"Abu Jundal is an Indian. We are also curious as to how he and others landed in Pakistan. He was a known criminal. He worked as a source of an Indian intelligence agency. I am not saying this. He himself has said so. I have seen records," Malik said in an exclusive conversation with the TOI.

The remark may outrage the Indian government, considering Pakistan went to great lengths to block Jundal's deportation from Saudi Arabia. Pakistan's diplomats had even told Saudi authorities that Jundal was a Pakistani, citing the passport and the national identity number issued to him.

In fact, while talking to TOI, Malik also underlined the involvement of two other Indians, including Ansari (Fahimuddin?) in the 26/11 attack, who had been to Pakistan. "We have to figure out all these...whether non-state actors from the two sides are acting at the instance of a third power. You are aware that things had taken an alarming turn, with both countries massing their troops on the border. Things would have been worse if the leadership on both sides had not shown maturity," said Malik, who is on a three-day official visit to India.

Denying the charge that Pakistan was reluctant to get to the bottom of the conspiracy behind 26/11 specifically when all evidence are there on Pakistani soil, Malik said that the trial would have been completed by now if a Judicial Commission from Pakistan had been allowed to cross-examine the four crucial Indian witnesses in the Mumbai attack case when it had visited India (in March, 2012). He also said that with the Indian government agreeing to let in the judicial commission visit Mumbai and cross-examine the witnesses "very soon", the trial in Pakistan (of Lashkar commander Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi and six other accused) in the 26/11 case would be concluded swiftly.

Responding to a question, Malik repeated his insistence that the two countries should let bygones and be bygones in order to have better ties: a pitch which is seen by here as code for saying that India should drop its insistence for punishment to 26/11 perpetrators as the pre-condition for discussing Jammu & Kashmir and other contentious issues.

However, he avoided a specific answer when asked the same "let's-move-on by forgetting the past" should require Pakistan to withdraw its claims over J&K. "We have to forget that India and Pakistan are enemies... We are converging on Kashmir issue. It is part of composite dialogue... we are not forgetting 26/11... I am not saying forget the incident. I am only saying that forget the feeling of animosity. Let us create an era of brightness".

Malik, who met PM Manmohan Singh on Saturday, sought to douse the controversy he triggered by drawing a parallel between the Babri demolition and the terror attack on Mumbai. "There is no comparison whatsoever between Babri Masjid demolition and the 26/11 attacks. Babri mosque (demolition) was actually an ethnic issue... It was actually a sectarian strife... My remarks should not be taken in a negative way. I have no intention to interfere with inter-faith matters," said the visiting minister, adding that Pakistan itself is a victim of sectarian strife among the Shias and the Sunnis.

The former police officer, who is known for his loyalty to the Bhutto clan, had on Friday hushed his host Indian home minister Sushilkumar Shinde by seeking to draw a parity between the 1992 demolition of Ayodhya mosque and the lethal assault on Mumbai in November, 2008.

Malik clarified that his intention was not to cause controversy or hurt anyone, claiming that he was merely trying to alert both countries to the consequences of sectarian violence. "Extremism is on the rise on both sides, and steps should be taken to check it," he said.

The Pakistani interior minister said he during his meetings with both the PM and national security advisor Shivshankar Menon pitched that Indian agencies should share the details of their investigations into 26/11 with Islamabad.

He claimed that the frostiness in ties post-26/11 has already thawed. "I have found great hope between people of the two countries... incidents are happening because we were not every close ... after Bombay (Mumbai) blats, how many things have happened?... Whenever India has said we suspect some area we have searched and even shared info... Intelligence to intelligence, government to government and ministry to ministry... everybody is interacting. With interaction comes friendship. All incidents happening can be averted with friendship... you are spending millions we are spending million (security)... we have to fight poverty and extremism. At government level, we have done many things...now people-to-people contact will clear the misunderstanding. We have created a situation for this now"........................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDEyLzEyLzE2I0FyMDAxMDA=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Malik caught Shinde off guard ...... Indian home minister was stumped by his Pakistani counterpart's rustic diplomacy

http://t.co/RZRoTqzb

Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik compares 26/11 carnage with Babri

Vishwa Mohan & Bharti Jain,TNN | Dec 15, 2012, 01.04AM IST 

"We dont want 9/11, we don't want any Mumbai bomb blast(attacks), and we don't want Babri masjid issue," Malik said

NEW DELHI: Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik dealt a blow to the efforts to normalize bilateral ties by raking up the Babri issue and seeking to draw a parallel between destruction of the mosque and terror attacks including the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai.

"We don't want any 9/11, we don't want any Mumbai bomb blast (attacks), we don't want any Samjhauta Express blast and we don't want Babri masjid issue," Malik said, stunning his hosts into silence and souring the positive vibes over the new visa regime designed to facilitate travel between the two countries.

Although he concluded by saying that he wanted to work for peace between the two countries and in the entire region, his reference to Babri was seen as a provocation. This was the first instance that a visiting Pakistani dignitary had waded into the sensitive Babri issue.

Malik was speaking impromptu after he, along with home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, had launched the liberalized visa regime as part of the painstaking effort to repair the relationship mauled by the ISI-backed Lashkar gang who ravaged Mumbai in November 2008.

The foreign ministry had reservations about having Malik over at this juncture, and his conduct may validate the misgivings. He twice cited killing of Pakistani citizens in Samjhauta blast almost as a counterpoise to the terrorist attack on Mumbai, besides, predictably, rejecting India's argument that it had given enough material to Pakistan to act against Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed.

Reacting to his comments, former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan G Parthasarthy said, "This shows the folly of inviting a Pakistani leader without any political standing who would only try to appease domestic opinion and the army."

The remarks Malik made earlier, at the airport on his arrival, on Captain Saurabh Kalia of Indian Army could also have been better framed. Kalia was tortured and his body mutilated after he was abducted and killed by Pakistani troops during the Kargil war in May 1999. Malik's arrival coincided with the Supreme Court issuing a notice to the Centre on a petition by Kalia's father that Pakistan be tried in the International Court of Justice for violation of Vienna rules on the humanitarian treatment of prisoners of war.

Asked about it, Malik started alright. He pleaded ignorance of the facts of the case but said he would be happy to meet Kalia's father. "Whenever any human being dies nobody hesitates to say sorry for that," he said. However, Malik went on to add that he was not aware whether Kalia died of a Pakistani bullet or just fell victim to harsh weather: a formulation which seemed insensitive considering the tell-tale marks of torture on Kalia's body.

The Pakistani minister said his government wanted to work on improving bilateral ties and even suggested that India should move beyond 26/11, asserting that "Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to punish those involved in the Mumbai terror attack". He further said, "We can work together not only for peace in Pakistan and India but also for the region."

Malik's remarks are not a happy augury for the patient fence-mending the two countries have been engaged in. In fact, his hosts in the home ministry looked distinctly awkward and the atmospherics tense as Malik spoke.

Shinde, who appeared to have been caught unawares, gathered his nerves to tell Malik that Pakistan needed to make good its promise to bring to book the 26/11 masterminds, stressing that it has not been fulfilled yet. "You have been outspoken on all fronts. But we in India keep on talking that earlier on several occasions, the promises were made and that (they) were not fulfilled. Today, you have made the promise again. I am quite confident that both the countries will go forward in bilateral cooperation," he said.

Importantly, however, Malik made it plain that India could not expect any concessions from Pakistan on the issue of its failure to punish Lashkar chief Saeed and other 26/11 masterminds. He cited three court orders exonerating Saeed. He said Pakistan could not go by just the statement of Ajmal Kasab or India's dossier on the Laskhar chief, ignoring India's contention that it had given enough material to Pakistan to probe Saeed's role.

He spoke of propaganda, blamed the tension between the neighbours on non-state actors and tried to draw equivalence between Saeed and the killing of Pakistani nationals in the bomb attack on Samjhauta Express. "I have been receiving dossiers with only information," Malik said at the airport, echoing Pakistan's charge that India has given no evidence on Saeed's complicity in the attack on Mumbai.

He continued in the same vein when he addressed reporters after inaugurating the new visa regime. "I know there have been questions on Hafiz Saeed and obviously this is the demand from the people of India. Exactly in the same way, when the Samjhauta blast happened, people of Pakistan were actually asking what had happened," he said.....................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTIvMTUjQXIwMDMwMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Kerala lottery scam ...... completion of probe may bring some explosive details on money laundering and black money

http://t.co/AVb2iHfI

Kerala lottery scam: India to seek Bhutan's help

Vishwa Mohan,TNN | Dec 2, 2012, 03.49AM IST 

NEW DELHI: India will soon send a Letter Rogatory (LR) — formal request for carrying out investigation abroad — to Bhutan in connection with the ongoing probe into the lottery scam in Kerala, where lotteries were allegedly sold in an unauthorized manner coupled with manipulation in selecting winners. 

The matter is being probed by the CBI which is looking into the irregularities committed by operators of Bhutan and Sikkim lotteries in Kerala between 2001 and 2012. The LR is required to obtain details from Thimphu about the sale of Bhutan lotteries in Kerala during the period. The CBI, which has been probing 32 cases related to the scam, suspects that the lottery prizes were used to be cornered by influential people, including government officials from different states, to convert their black money. 

"Union home ministry has approved the CBI's request for LR. The LR will be issued by filing application in a court in Kerala shortly," said an official. 

The move will help the investigating agency get all relevant details to unearth irregularities like printing of fake and banned lottery tickets and manipulation in selection of winners and also find out the magnitude of the scam. 

The probe and cooperation at Thimphu's end is required in the light of the statement given by Santiago Martin, the Tamil Nadu-based businessman who was the distributor for Bhutan lotteries in India. Martin, who is one of the accused, is learnt to have won distributorship in an auction held in Bhutan five years ago. 

"Indian investigators will examine all these details by recording statements of Bhutanese officials," said the official. 

He said that copies of legal agreement between Bhutanese authorities and Martin, information on number of draws, legally allotted ticket numbers and other relevant details would help the CBI in filing charge sheet in the cases. 

It is alleged that the accused was running the lottery racket where first prizes were rarely won. The probe mainly revolves around the sale of Sikkim and Bhutan lotteries in Kerala. Though the CBI and state police had got all details from Sikkim government, information from the Bhutan is still awaited. "The LR to Bhutan is likely to remove the roadblock," added the official........................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS1JLTy8yMDEyLzEyLzAyI0FyMDA1MDM=&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Gujarat ..... a test case .....

http://t.co/pxWraEes

By Vishwa Mohan, TNN | Nov 12,2012, 12.45 AM IST

Gujarat tops states in number of Muslim policemen

NEW DELHI: Gujarat, which faced one of the worst anti-Muslim riots in the country barely 10 years ago, has emerged as the state with the largest number of Muslim cops posted in police stations, beating states with a higher proportion of the community in their population.

The data, shared by the home ministry in response to an RTI query filed by TOI, shows that 10.6% of Gujarat's cops posted in police stations are Muslims. This is higher than the proportion of Muslims in the state's population, which is 9.1% (2001 census).

The state has 5,021 cops from the community out of a total of 47,424 in its 501 police stations. On an average, Gujarat has 10 Muslim cops per police station — higher than any other state which shared data with the Centre.

The trend comes to light at a time when most states have failed to implement a key recommendation of the Sachar Committee report, suggesting that more Muslim cops be in police stations to build confidence among the community.

Assam and Kerala, home to a much larger chunk of Muslims, have a higher percentage of the community in their police forces. But Gujarat has higher number of Muslim cops. Along with Odisha, it is the only state where the percentage of Muslims in the police force is higher than in the general population.

The list includes 17 states and six Union Territories (UTs) and leaves out states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (where Muslim population is 10% or more), which did not share data with the home ministry despite several reminders.

Gujarat has 5,021 Muslim police personnel in its 501 police stations compared to 2,210 Muslim cops in 451 police stations in Kerala, 2,048 in 525 police stations in West Bengal, 930 in 773 police stations in Rajasthan and 616 in 417 police stations in Jharkhand.

Absence of data from 11 states and one UT (Puducherry) may spare them from being scrutinized at this juncture by the Centre but not sharing figures of Muslim cops may itself raise a question mark over these states' commitment to implement the Sachar committee recommendations.

TOI had sought information under the transparency law in the context of the home ministry's missive to states reminding them about implementing Sachar panel's recommendations on posting a minimum of one Muslim inspector or sub-inspector in police stations which catered to a sizeable number of the minority community. This, the committee said, should be done "not eliminate discrimination but as an initiative to build confidence".

The ministry also sought details of action taken by the states in this regard on a half-yearly basis.

The Sachar committee, constituted on March 9, 2005 under the chairmanship of Justice Rajinder Sachar to prepare a comprehensive report on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in India, had submitted its findings in November 2006.

Gujarat tops states in number of Muslim policemen

By Vishwa Mohan, TNN | Nov 12, 2012, 12.45 AM IST

On an average, Gujarat has 10 Muslim cops per police station — higher than any other state which shared data with the Centre.

NEW DELHI: Gujarat, which faced one of the worst anti-Muslim riots in the country barely 10 years ago, has emerged as the state with the largest number of Muslim cops posted in police stations, beating states with a higher proportion of the community in their population.

The data, shared by the home ministry in response to an RTI query filed by TOI, shows that 10.6% of Gujarat's cops posted in police stations are Muslims. This is higher than the proportion of Muslims in the state's population, which is 9.1% (2001 census).

The state has 5,021 cops from the community out of a total of 47,424 in its 501 police stations. On an average, Gujarat has 10 Muslim cops per police station — higher than any other state which shared data with the Centre.

The trend comes to light at a time when most states have failed to implement a key recommendation of the Sachar Committee report, suggesting that more Muslim cops be in police stations to build confidence among the community.

Assam and Kerala, home to a much larger chunk of Muslims, have a higher percentage of the community in their police forces. But Gujarat has higher number of Muslim cops. Along with Odisha, it is the only state where the percentage of Muslims in the police force is higher than in the general population.

The list includes 17 states and six Union Territories (UTs) and leaves out states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (where Muslim population is 10% or more), which did not share data with the home ministry despite several reminders.

Gujarat has 5,021 Muslim police personnel in its 501 police stations compared to 2,210 Muslim cops in 451 police stations in Kerala, 2,048 in 525 police stations in West Bengal, 930 in 773 police stations in Rajasthan and 616 in 417 police stations in Jharkhand.

Absence of data from 11 states and one UT (Puducherry) may spare them from being scrutinized at this juncture by the Centre but not sharing figures of Muslim cops may itself raise a question mark over these states' commitment to implement the Sachar committee recommendations.

TOI had sought information under the transparency law in the context of the home ministry's missive to states reminding them about implementing Sachar panel's recommendations on posting a minimum of one Muslim inspector or sub-inspector in police stations which catered to a sizeable number of the minority community. This, the committee said, should be done "not eliminate discrimination but as an initiative to build confidence".

The ministry also sought details of action taken by the states in this regard on a half-yearly basis.

The Sachar committee, constituted on March 9, 2005 under the chairmanship of Justice Rajinder Sachar to prepare a comprehensive report on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in India, had submitted its findings in November 2006.


Union home ministry's data on Muslim police personnel as on October 16, 2012:


1. No. of Muslim police personnel who are posted in 'police stations' (top six states):

Gujarat - 5021

Assam - 2210

Kerala - 2210

West Bengal - 2048

Tamil Nadu - 1206

Rajasthan -- 930

2. Share (percentage) of Muslim personnel in total number of cops in 'police stations' 

Assam - 21.5%

Kerala - 11.6%

Gujarat - 10.6%

West Bengal - 8.4%

Jharkhand - 6.4%

Rajasthan - 3.9%

3. Proportion of Muslim population in these states (2001 Census data)

Assam - 30.9%

West Bengal - 25.2%

Kerala - 24.7%

Jharkhand - 13.8%

Gujarat - 9.1%

Rajasthan - 8.5%

4. Proportion of Muslim population to total population of India (2001 Census data) - 13.4%

5. Eleven states - UP, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh - have not shared data with the home ministry.....................http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMTEvMTIjQXIwMDEwNA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom