Court summons top MEA official as witness

A special court hearing the 26/11 attack case on Monday issued summons to a top external affairs ministry official to throw light on a dossier sent by Pakistan on Faheem Ansari, who is facing trial along with captured gunman Ajmal Kasab. The summons, returnable on November 17, was issued to MEA joint secretary Manpreet Vora on an application by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. According to Nikam, Pakistan has admitted that the passport seized from Faheem was genuine and issued by the authorities there, although it was procured on the strength of fake documents. In this regard, Pakistan has sent a dossier to India on which the prosecution wants to examine Vora. Nikam, however, made it clear that his examination would be limited to the dossier relating to Faheem's Pakistani passport. As the dossier contains sensitive and confidential information other aspects would not be touched upon, he said. In a related development, the court also allowed the plea of the prosecution to call for records pertaining to specimen signature of Faheem taken by Uttar Pradesh Police to compare with his signature appearing on the passport. The UP government had already obtained opinion of a handwriting expert on Faheem's specimen signature, Nikam said. Faheem's lawyer Shahid Azmi opposed the prosecution's prayer to examine Vora and the plea on Faheem's specimen signature, arguing that it would be prejudicial to the accused as this evidence was not part of the charge sheet and was being introduced for the first time in the court. Nikam contested the argument, saying no prejudice would be caused to the accused because the passport was seized from Faheem's possession at the time of his arrest in Lucknow last year and also formed part of the charge sheet. Even Pakistan had admitted that the passport was issued in that country on the strength of fake documents submitted by Faheem, Nikam said, adding photographs in the passport were that of the accused. Faheem is facing trial along with Sabauddin Ahmed and Kasab in the Mumbai terror attack case. Faheem has been charged with preparing maps of the targets and giving them to Lashker-e-Taiba in Pakistan through Sabauddin to strike terror in India.

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