Pakistan's foreign ministry has not taken seriously the letter or confessional statement of Ajmal Amir Iman, the lone terrorist captured for the Mumbai attacks, according to a media report.
"Such material cannot be treated as ample proof," a source in the Foreign Office was quoted as saying by The
News daily.
The statement of Iman alias Ajmal Kasab does not amount to admissible proof under "any penal code anywhere in
the world, including India or Pakistan," it said.
Indian authorities should produce "credible evidence" to establish Iman's identity as some "Indian papers" had reported that he is an Indian national, the anonymous source claimed.
The foreign ministry did not take Iman's letter or confessional statement seriously, the sources said.
Sources in the interior ministry told the newspaper that Pakistani authorities have not concluded their investigations into Iman's claims and would respond to his rquest for legal assistance shortly.
They also claimed the National Database and Registration Authority does not "verify Kasab's claim of being a Pakistani national as it lacks official data to prove his assertion".
However, NADRA's database covers only 60 million of Pakistan's total population of over 160 million.
The report also said the Pakistan government was "in a fix as to how to react to" Iman's letter, in which he said he
is a Pakistani belonging to Faridkot village in Punjab province and a Lashker-e-Tayiba operative who participated in
the Mumbai attacks.
The Indian government provided Iman's letter and his confessional statement to Pakistani authorities on December
23. Iman also wrote in the letter that he wanted legal assistance from Pakistan before his police remand period ended on January 6.
The covering letter said the Mumbai Crime Branch is eagerly awaiting a response from Pakistan authorities before
it starts looking for other legal options for Iman.
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