Pakistan to Demand Handing Over of Col. Purohit From India

By Makhdoom Babar

Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Mail.

Friday, 12 December 2008.

WWW.AHMEDQURAISHI.COM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The Government of Pakistan is set to demand the extradition of Col. Shrikant Purohit of the Indian Army, the first serving Indian Army officer arrested for terrorism and the main accused in the 2007 Samjhauta Express inferno, the ‘friendship’ train, in which 69 Pakistani passengers, returning from India to Pakistan, were burned alive, The Daily Mail has learned on good authority.

Highly reliable sources have revealed to The Daily Mail that Pakistan is going to insist on handing over of Col. Purohit because he was proven guilty of killing 69 Pakistanis in 2007 by India’s own investigative agencies.

The 69 Pakistanis were murdered on Indian soil.

It may mentioned here that India’s anti-terrorism specialist and former RAW officer Mr. HemantKarkare , who was investigating Samjhauta Express inferno and Malegaon Blast in his final conclusion report, framed Col. Purohit as the main accused and mastermind in both the cases and arrested Col. Purohit for further investigations.

However Mr. Karkare and two other members of his Investigation Team were later killed by Saffron Terrorists, as Hindu terrorists are known, belonging to Sang Parivar’s Aatma Ghataki Pathak (Hindu Suicide Squad), during Mumbai carnage, while after Karkare’s assassination Col. Purohit was released on bail by the court and there are no further investigations on this direction and the matter has been hushed up.

The Daily Mail’s investigation reveals that the Pakistani authorities have taken an exception to the findings of Karkare’s investigation and are very anxious to get hold of Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit to investigate him further to ascertain his involvement in the killing of many other Pakistanis in different terror attacks inside Pakistan and also in India, since it has been established through Karkare’s report that Col. Purohit is an important member of the network of Hindu Extremists and the networks of likeminded officers in Indian Army.

The authorities believe that the handing over of Col. Purohit, a proven killer of 69 Pakistanis, is more important than handing over of certain Pakistani ‘suspects’ doubted to be involved in Mumbai carnage.

It may be mentioned here that the Pakistan has already prepared a list of 35 most wanted terrorists that are to be sought from India, however Col. Purohit’s name was earlier not on that list. The reason is that his name is supposed to be given separately in the wake of the Karakare investigations.

However, due to the Mumbai incident that occurred soon after release of Karakare’s report, Islamabad could not initiate the move. But now it has become imperative to go ahead with Col. Purohit’s extradition demand. It is yet to be decided when and how this demand is to be made and conveyed to the Indians.

This report is republished by AhmedQuraishi.com & PakNationalists through an exclusive permission. The Daily Mail is published simultaneously from Islamabad and Beijing. Mr. Babar can be reached at macbabur AT hotmail.com