Aseemanand versus United Nation

The confessions of the arrested Swami are contradictory to UN and US findings, writes rajinder puri

Last Saturday, accused Hindu terrorist Swami Aseemanand repeated before a magistrate his assertion that Hindutva radicals perpetrated the Samjhauta Express bomb blast. His confession made before the magistrate was recorded under Section 164 of the CRPC by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is probing the Samjhauta terror attack. That Hindu terrorists were involved in other terror strikes is entirely credible. But surely their involvement in the Samjhauta blast raises contradictions that cannot be swept under the carpet. However, the NIA appears to be proceeding with its probe on the basis of the Swami’s confession without a second thought. And most of the national media appears to be equally comfortable with the probe as it unfolds.

Should not at this early stage the findings of the US treasury department as well as the United Nations (UN) be also considered for uncovering the truth? In 2009, the US treasury department imposed sanctions on four Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba (LeT) operatives for organising the Samjhauta blast. The four named were Arif Qasmani, Fazeel-A-Tul Shaykh Abu Mohammed Ameen al-Peshawari, Mohammed Yahya Mujahid and Nasir Javaid. The US treasury stated: “The designated individuals have provided direct support to Al Qaida and LeT and have facilitated terrorist attacks, including the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai.”

That is not all. The UN endorsed the US treasury findings on the basis of the evidence collected. On 29 June, the 1267 committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which mandated sanctions on the Al Qaida and the Taliban, froze assets, banned travel and imposed an arms embargo on Arif Qasmani, a Karachi businessman who it described as the “chief coordinator” for the Lashkar’s links with outside groups. It claimed that Qasmani provided “significant support for LeT terrorist operations.” In its Press release, the 1267 committee stated: “Qasmani has worked with LeT to facilitate terrorist attacks, to include the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai, India, and the February 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing in Panipat, India. Qasmani utilised money that he received from Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian crime figure and terrorist supporter, to facilitate the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai, India…Arif Qasmani has also provided financial and other support to Al Qaida.” According to the UN in return for providing support “Al Qaida provided Qasmani with operatives to support the July 2006 train bombing in Mumbai, India, and the February 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing in Panipat, India.”

The above assertions by the UN seem to be explicit enough. So what do these assertions make of Aseemanand’s confession? One presumes that the NIA and the national media are interested in uncovering the truth about the Samjhauta blast. Then why is so little attention being paid to the earlier assertions of the US treasury and the UN? If Aseemanand is correct, the UN was wrong. If the UN was correct, Aseemanand is wrong. Can such a glaring contradiction be ignored in any credible investigation? Surely the public deserves some explanation right away.

===================================================
Courtesy : Rajinder Puri (The writer is a veteran journalist and cartoonist )