Demanding death for “terrorist” Ajmal Kasab, the Pakistan Interior Minister, Mr Rehman Malik, today said that the proposed visit of a Judicial Commission to India will help quicken the trial of 26/11 accused in his country.
“Kasab is a terrorist. He is a non-state actor. He should go to gallows,” Mr Malik told Indian journalists here as the Prime Ministers of the two countries were meeting to review bilateral ties.
Mr Malik said that the Pakistan Government was awaiting a visit of the Judicial Commission to India and get some evidence that will help in prosecuting the accused in his country if we have “credible evidence’’.
“Once that Commission will go to India, its findings are important for the judicial process in Pakistan. When the findings are there, they will be covering all the legal sides.
Then there will be some judicially-satisfactory statement,” he said.
Asked how long the Judicial Commission would stay in India, Mr Malik said it would be there for three-four days as long as “you can accept them as guest’’.
To a question on when the trial would complete, the Minister said as soon as the report comes, the process will begin “but it is too early to say how long it would go on’’.
Asked about Pakistan removing Jamat-ud-Dawa from the terror list, the Minister said: “Information is not evidence and there is need for concrete legal evidence for keeping them in the terror list.’’
On the release of JuD founder Hafiz Saeed, he said: “He was bailed out by the highest court of Pakistan and the government can’t do anything about it.’’
He reiterated Pakistan’s stand that it was not aware of Osama bin Laden’s presence in the country. He said bin Laden was trained by intelligence agencies like CIA and ISI and he knew how to hide.