Ajmal Kasab was hanged, but there are four other trials that need to be expedited to bring the real masterminds of the 26/11 attacks to justice. Vicky Nanjappa reports Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving 26/11 gunman, has been executed and with this the main trial of the Mumbai terror attacks case is complete. But four others trials which are of immense importance to the case are still on -- the case against Pakistan born Canadian Tahawwur Rana in the US court, the law suit in New York against Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the case against key 26/11 handler Abu Jundal and Pakistan's 26/11 trial -- and far from being complete.
These trials are as important or probably even more than that of Kasab, if one looks at the bigger picture in the 26/11 case. It would be hard to rate as to which of these cases are of more importance to India. But a positive decision in all these cases would substantiate India's stand of Pakistani involvement in the biggest terror attack on Indian soil.
The Tahawwur Rana case:
According to prosecution in the United States and the Indian investigators, Rana facilitated the travel of Laskar-e-Tayiba operative David Headley, who surveyed the targets for the November 26, 2008 attack.
Rana was tried separately in the US, but it was a setback for both India and the US, as the court did not find enough evidence regarding his role in the attack. It, however, found him guilty of charges in the Mickey Mouse Project, centered on the attack on Danish daily
Jyllands-Posten, which published caricatures of Muhammad in 2005.
The NIA is desperate to get their hands on Rana, but are entangled in a legal process.
Rana has appealed against his conviction in the Denmark case and the US prosecution has appealed against his acquittal in the 26/11 case.
India has no option but to wait for this trial to complete and only then seek permission from the US to question him. The NIA, which has filed a chargesheet against Rana and Headley, will have to file an additional chargesheet against the former once they finish questioning him.
For India, the big disappointment came when Rana backtracked on his earlier version that he was working for the ISI and was carrying out their orders.
The lawsuit in New York against ISI, Hafiz Saeed:
A lawsuit that has been filed in a New York court by the families of the victims of the 26/11 attack. They have sought to sue the ISI and also Hafiz Saeed for their role in the Mumbai terror strikes.
In this case, the New York court had issued summons to the ISI and the Lashkar chief, but both have not appeared before the court so far.
India, meanwhile, has been very slow in deciding whether to implead itself in this case. For over a year, the government has been consulting legal experts on joining the New York lawsuit against the 26/11 accused.
India would have gained had it impleaded itself in this case since
it would give investigators the opportunity to voice their reservations against the ISI.