Father says Usman's my son, but Pakistan still in denial mode

On the day the Jammu and Kashmir government accorded sanction to prosecute Pakistani militant Mohammad Naveed alias Usman for waging war against the state, Pakistan suffered a setback when his father Mohammad Yaqub admitted that the captured militant was indeed his son and he fears for his life.

According to reports, Yaqub said that the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Pakistan army were after them and they fear for their lives. "Are you calling from India? We will be killed. I am the unfortunate father," TV reports, quoting Yaqub, said.

Yaqub said that the LeT wanted his son Naveed dead and not to be caught alive. "Now they are after us," he said.

Even as Yaqub candidly admitted that Naveed alias Usman was his son, Pakistan was in a denial mode despite proofs exploding on its face. Pakistan's foreign office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said he had
seen media reports that "a person has been arrested in India and is being projected as Pakistan national".

"I will not comment on media reports. We expect Indian authorities to share necessary information about him with us to enable verification of his national status," Khalilullah said.

The spokesman noted terrorism is our common enemy and requires a co-operative approach to combat the menace rather than a blame game.

"Pointing fingers without investigations and evidence is not a healthy trend on the part of Indian media. We have repeatedly asked India to refrain from accusations," Khalilullah said.

Pakistan is repeating what it did when Ajmal Kasab was captured after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Pakistan had always denied Kasab and refused to accept his body after he was hanged in 2012.

Earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir government accorded sanction to prosecute Naveed for waging war against the state, which is punishable by death sentence.

District magistrate, Udhampur, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary accorded the sanction for the prosecution of Usman for his involvement in the attack on BSF convoy and taking hostages at Samrouli area on Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Wednesday.

Police had sought prosecution after they registered a case under Section 121 (waging war against the state) 121a, 120 (concealing a design to commit and offence), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 307 (attempt to murder), 302 (murder) of Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) and 7/25 Arms Act and Section 15/16 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

"We have given the sanction for the prosecution for waging war against the state. It is punishable by death penalty. Now police will prosecute him for death penalty," Choudhary told dna.

The sanction for prosecution has been given under Section 196 CrPC after the district magistrate was satisfied with the proofs gathered by the investigation agency.

It was a fit case of waging war against the state by Usman and his associate Momin, who was gunned down by the Border Security Force in retaliatory action.

The government has directed the police to put the investigation on fast- track and produce the charge sheet in the court at the earliest so that Usman is punished for the crimes he committed in India.

Investigators had submitted a comprehensive report to the district magistrate, detailing the sequences of events and crimes committed by the militants. They have also detailed their movement and the plan of action, which was sufficient for the prosecution under waging war against the state.

"Police have collected sufficient evidence in the matter. Preliminary investigation report presented by the police was water-tight. Therefore, the sanction for prosecution was accorded," said a senior government officer.