 "Ishrat Jahan, Mother, Shamima Kausar, David Headley")
Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley told the special court that Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in an encounter in 2004 by the Gujarat police, was working for Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar e Taiba (LeT). Three others were killed in the encounter along with the 19-year-old college girl. The four were accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Headley, who is testifying in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case from an undisclosed location in the US via video link, picked Ishrat's name when the prosecutor questioning him listed "options" of female members of the LeT.
However, Headley's statement led to political sparring between the BJP and opposition parties. The union minister of state for parliamentary affairs, without naming Congress and left parties, said "Political Champions of nation's security" should apologise to the country after David Headley's revelations about Ishrat Jahan.
Congress leader Manish Tewari retorted saying court-monitored investigations came to conclusion that this was a fake encounter.
Nationalist Congress Party spokesman Nawab Malik said his party did not support terrorism. ''Ishrat's family has already approached the apex court. Let the court decides whether it was a fake or real encounter in which she was killed. Let us hope that Headley's statement will be put up before the Supreme Court during arguments. BJP should not jump to any conclusion.''
Meanwhile, Ishrat's mother Shamima Kausar and her sister Musarrat dismissed Headley's revealation and said Ishrat was innocent. Kausar said the Surpeme Court has yet give its ruling on whether or not it was a fake encounter. They alleged that Ishrat's death was part of a larger conspiracy, with big names involved in the alleged fake encounter.
