Dossier diplomacy runs into Pak stonewalling

India’s dossier diplomacy post-26/11 to expose the culpability of Pakistani establishment elements in the Mumbai attacks has yielded close to zilch, thanks to a dodgy Islamabad. Since January, India has forwarded seven dossiers to Pakistan — the latest last week — bombarding it with leads, information and clarifications on its several questions.

Gleaned mainly from the account of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist of 26/11, the dossiers detail how the attacks were planned and executed. Kasab sang like a canary; obviously, his handlers expected him to die like the other terrorists and did not think it was important to tell him not to squeal.

Faced with the avalanche of information, Pakistan has resorted to stonewalling. It has complained loudly about the lack of hard evidence, posed counter-questions and sought information on issues irrelevant to the core point.

“It makes no difference whether India gives Pakistan seven dossiers or 70 or 700. They do not want to help because it will expose the involvement of people in the intelligence agencies. But now that the focus is on (David Coleman) Headley and (Tahawwur Hussain) Rana and the US is involved, Islamabad has no choice but to cooperate,” says analyst K Subrahmanyam.

It’s not a question of what has been provided, says KC Singh, former secretary in the external affairs ministry. “It’s about the will of the Pakistan establishment to deliver. I don’t see much sincerity. The attitude of the Pakistani government has been to procrastinate and then yield just a bit when international pressure is intense.”

The 69-page first dossier gives the most comprehensive insight into the planning of the attacks. It includes details of how the militants obtained the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) numbers that allowed the handlers to call the 10 gunmen without getting their own locations exposed. There are also photographs of items, including GPS units, mobile phones, guns, explosives and data from satellite phones the militants had left behind. The dossier has the numbers contacted and intercepts of conversations between the terrorists
and their Lashkar-e-Taiba handlers.

An intercept reveals the extent to which the handlers were directing events at the Oberoi Trident hotel. “Everything is being recorded by the media. Inflict the maximum damage. Keep fighting. Don’t be taken alive,” said one handler at 3.53 am on November 27. Another interjected: “Kill all the hostages, except the two Muslims… Keep your phone switched on so that we can hear the gunfire.”

Despite the clarity of evidence, the only thing India has got is the admission by Pakistan that the attack was plotted on its territory by Pakistani nationals. This may appear self-evident to Indians, but for Islamabad, this is a major concession.