A Mumbai Sessions Court has issued non-bailable warrants against two Pakistan Army officers - Major Abdul Rehman Pasha and Major Iqbal - in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case.
The charge sheet filed by the city police’s crime branch shows both Major Iqbal and Major Pasha as wanted accused in the case.
On January 21, 2019, Additional Sessions Judge S.V. Yarlagadda allowed an application filed by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.
In the application, Nikam said that the role of the two Pakistani Army officials was revealed during the testimony of US-born Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist David Coleman Headley on the conspiracy hatched in the case.
Headley, who is presently lodged in a US jail, turned approver in the case and his testimony was recorded via video conference in 2016.
While Major Pasha has retired, the prosecution believes Major Iqbal is still serving as an ISI official in Pakistan, as disclosed by Headley.
Headley in his testimony claimed that during the conspiracy to commit the terror attacks in Mumbai, Major Iqbal and Major Pasha were present in the meetings during which targets were selected.
Headley had visited Mumbai in September 2006 and informed Major Iqbal about his surveillance of Hotel Taj. Major Iqbal gave Headley USD 25,000 to do intelligence work in India.
Further, Headley also claimed that Major Iqbal had asked him to also get classified information about Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and of political party Shiv Sena's office, 'Sena Bhawan', located in central Mumbai.
He said he had also received Rs 80,000 from Major Pasha for carrying out surveillance work in India.
On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists entered India by sea route and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 166 people, including 18 security personnel, and injuring several others, besides damaging property worth crores.
The attacks lasted three days. The places that were attacked included south Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station, the Taj Hotel, the Trident Hotel, Cafe Leopold and Chabad House.
While nine of the terrorists were killed during the siege, Ajmal Kasab was caught alive by Mumbai Police and later awarded death sentence.
