Headley reveals ISI major’s identity—ToI – 26.5.11

26/11 TERROR HANDLER

Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN

Washington: From the time US Department of Justice attorneys named Pakistan’s mysterious “Major Iqbal” in their indictment following David Headley’s disclosure during investigations that he was his principal ISI handler, investigators have struggled to get a fix on him. They tried to ascertain answers to questions likely who Major Iqbal is, who did he report to, where is he, and most importantly, will Pakistan identify and extradite him?
    In his testimony on Tuesday, Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Headley revealed that Major Iqbal was also known as “Chaudhery Khan”.
    Exhibits presented by the prosecution showed Headley corresponded with him using a Yahoo ID. It was Major Iqbal who recruited him, walked him through the Mumbai terror plot, and set him on his way with $25,000 to begin surveillance and identifying targets in Mumbai.
    Headley says the serving ISI officer told him an attack on Mumbai in September 2008 had to be abandoned as terrorists deployed for the purpose lost their moorings — and their boat. He advised Headley to befriend influential people “who live in military facilities” in India, and while he was thrilled with the advances the Pakistani-American made in infiltrating Shiv Sena, he was disappointed that Headley did not scout the Mumbai airport as a target. Headley reveals Chabad House plot In Rogues Gallery Of Pak Masterminds, Major Iqbal Emerges As Top Boss
Washington: David Headley in his testimonial, on Tuesday also revealed that his principal ISI handler directed that the Jewish community centre Chabad House be added to the list of targets because he believed it was a front for Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.
    Chillingly, Major Iqbal’s associate Sajid Mir, who is also believed to be an ISI officer, told Headley that they had no compunctions killing women at Chabad House because Israeli women served in their army on account of mandatory draft.
    In the rogues gallery of Pakistani masterminds of 26/11, Major Iqbal clearly emerges as the operational chief. While Headley says he is an ISI officer, the US chargesheet, while naming him as a defendant, does not mention his ISI affiliation, though this has been identified in both US and Indian case files.
    US officials have declined to reveal if, when, and how they will get Major Iqbal (and other defendants named in the case, including Ilyas Kashmiri and Sajid Mir).
    While Kashmiri is widely reported to be on the run (a reported drone strike killing him last year turned out to be false), Pakistan is not even acknowledging the existence of Major Iqbal aka Chaudhery Khan, on its rolls.
    Nor is Washington pressing — at least publicly — for his extradition, possibly because of political and diplomatic sensitivities. This is also likely why his ISI affiliation was not put on record in the indictment despite Headley’s disclosure.
    Pakistani officials earlier this week created some wiggle room for Islamabad by suggesting that Iqbal may have been a rogue officer who was acting on his own and is no longer with the agency — the same kind of alibi the country’s establishment created to explain A Q Khan’s nuclear proliferation and other infractions. “ISI and serving officers did not provide support to David Headley, and ISI had nothing to do with the Mumbai attack,” an unnamed Pakistani official told the Wall Street Journal.
    But internal memos within the beltway, as disclosed in recent Wikileaks cables, leave no doubt that Washington considers ISI a terrorist entity. Only political compulsions prevent it from acting on it, a handicap that may also help Pakistan save “Major Iqbal’’.