Mumbai, July 22 (Inditop.com) Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist from the 26/11 attackers, Wednesday said he was ready to be hanged, two days after he made a dramatic confession and gave a chilling blow-by-blow account of his role in the Mumbai terror strikes in which over 170 people were killed.
It was yet another day of drama in the courtroom of Special Judge M.L. Tahilyani when Kasab pleaded to be put to death for his crimes.
He told the court in Urdu: “Maine jo kuchh bhi kiya hai, woh is duniya mein kiya hai. Isliye yeh duniya hi mujhe sazaa degi. Mujhe Khuda ki sazaa nahi chahiye. Agar kissi ke dimag mein yeh sawal aaya hai ki maine phaansi se bachne ke liye bayaan diya hai, to vaisa nahi hai….Mujhe beshak phaansi ki saza de do.” (Whatever I have done, I have done in this world and this world should punish me. I don’t want god’s (divine) punishment. But, if somebody feels that I have confessed to escape the death penalty, then sentence me to death penalty.)
Judge Tahaliyani again asked whether the accused was pressurised to make a confession since his government-appointed lawyer S.G. Abbas Kazmi had contended that Kasab was being “mentally tortured” to plead guilty.
But Kasab denied Kazmi’s contentions and said there was no such issue. However, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam termed it as “a drama” to suppress the truth.
Nikam said the accused had not revealed the full truth about the Mumbai attacks conspiracy and was trying to protect his handlers in Pakistan.
Nikam also argued that by naming other associates and his Pakistani handlers, Kasab was attempting to prove he was merely “a pawn” in the hands of masterminds behind the terror attacks.
Nikam said the accused is “very smart and intelligent to say that he should be awarded death penalty because no court will send him to the gallows if the major role of his participation in the crime is discarded”.
Kasab’s plea came as the court was considering whether to accept Kasab’s surprising admission Monday of being one of the 10 Pakistani terrorists who attacked the financial and entertainment capital of India Nov 26 last year.
Kasab, 21, was arrested by a group of policemen early morning of Nov 27. The siege of the city that began Nov 26 night finally ended on the morning of Nov 29.
Kasab has been charged with 86 separate offences, including murder and waging war against India. He had in May pleaded not guilty to the charges and recanted a confession to the crimes during his initial interrogation that he said was made under duress.
The prosecution and defence lawyers made their submissions in the court Wednesday whether to accept or reject Kasab’s stunning confession Monday.
Nikam said there were contradictions in his two confessions given by Kasab, the court should accept the statement and also proceed with the trial in which 135 witnesses have so far been examined.
Kazmi urged the court to either reject or accept the confession.
“If the court accepts it, then the trial will end and the sentence can be pronounced. As it is, I am not opposing the confession made by Kasab and he has also expressed his desire to the court that he should be hanged. But, if the court rejects the plea, then it should not consider the statement of confession at all for any use, and the trial can continue,” he said.
Judge Tahilyani reserved his order on the matter till Thursday.
