The unending Faridkot mystery
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab. — File Photo by AP
LAHORE: Ajmal Kasab, the ‘baby-faced butcher’, arrived on the scene in November 2008 and even though he was executed in a Pune jail about four years later on Wednesday, his image and his stereotype threatens to live on without being fully probed.
The criminal investigation or a lack of it apart, no serious study to understand his coming about has yet been undertaken and none is likely if the conventional and convenient methods of investigation continue to be obsessively applied.
Ajmal Kasab was the lone survivor among the 10 Mumbai attackers. In late November 2008 intelligence leaks to Indian media claimed he was a Pakistani hailing from a village named Faridkot. A search was launched by media in Pakistan and many Faridkots beckoned out of their unnoticed existence on the map. Finally, after a series of blanks, a tip from Okara in central Punjab said Ajmal Kasab’s family might be living in Faridkot village bang on the Kasur-Depalpur road, not far from Depalpur town.
An investigation by a Dawn reporter confirmed that Amir Kasab, identified by Indian media as the father of Ajmal, had indeed settled in Faridkot many years ago after arriving from nearby Haveli Lakha, and that among his children was a son who had left home some time ago.
Two Dawn journalists arrived in a neat-looking Faridkot lane in the first week of December, 2008. They were looking for the Kasab home and were met on the way by a man of medium build, clad in shalwar kameez. “Do you know someone from the Kasab family? Are they home?,” the man was asked.
“I am Kasab,” he replied. Then quickly and mechanically, he took out his identity card from his chest pocket, as if he had kept it handy for an impending identification. “Amir Kasab,” the card read.
In a few seconds, the journalists were inside Amir Kasab’s house. A pale-eyed woman sat on a charpoy, introduced to the visitors as Ajmal’s mother. Two younger women who stood by were identified as Ajmal’s sisters. Also around and visibly intrigued by the visit was a young boy in winter school uniform. He was said to be Ajmal’s younger brother.
A few hours earlier, the same journalists had found the details in the Indian media’s breaking stories on Ajmal Kasab a bit too difficult to stomach — an example of how intelligence agencies used media to forward their own interests, how too much information gave a story-teller away. It was a story they were desperate to disprove, ready to suffer the embarrassment that awaits pursuers at the end chasing a red herring. In these stories, the attacker was painted as a poor runaway boy who, after wandering through Lahore, had met his jihadi handlers in Rawalpindi. However, in the poor and well-kempt courtyard of the Kasab family that afternoon, the probing journalists found some striking similarities between their surroundings and the bits reported in Indian media accounts of Ajmal’s confessions.
The reports said Amir Kasab was a snacks-seller in Faridkot, and now a handcart stood in one corner of the yard, stacked with steel plates and glasses washed and ready to serve. Amir said he sold pakoras in the village, a collection of quite spacious brick-houses against a background of richly cultivated fields and smoke-emitting factories that had been under-projected in the media leaks.
Much more devastating, the master of the house admitted the pictures flashed in media were his son’s. “Initially, I did not own up to this. But now I know that this is my son,” he said.
Then he sobbed and his wife’s face disappeared in the chador she had on her. The younger lot of the family looked on, as did the small crowd that had gathered inside the house, probably neighbours not all of whom were comfortable with the content of the unfolding conversation.
There were a few points which Amir Kasab adamantly denied. The media had implied that he had taken money against Ajmal’s services to the ‘handlers’ of the Mumbai attack — an accusation that has been repeated after the execution now. “He had asked me to buy Eid clothes for him. When I refused he got angry and left,” Amir’s simple explanation said.
That was apparently the only exchange between the Kasab family of Faridkot near Depalpur and the media. Over the following hours, the village was besieged by journalists faced by a local nazim and his men determined to prevent any further prying into their lives, even if it required manhandling the nosey journalists.
One reporter working with a British paper located the Kasab name on an electoral roll. Yet, no clue was available to the whereabouts of Amir Kasab and his family. They had simply vanished from the scene.
The first reaction in Pakistan back then was to disown Ajmal Kasab. Now, amid a debate as to who should claim his body, people in Faridkot are still reluctant to admit he belonged to their village. It needed some persuasion before a couple of them shared a few bits of information with Dawn on Wednesday.
One villager said Amir Kasab and his wife had briefly been in Faridkot a few times. From among those who did acknowledge the Kasabs had once been Faridkot residents told Dawn their house had since been “rented out”. The current occupants say they have been living there for three and a half years.
The house looks the same as it did in December 2008, but an animal shed has since taken up some part of the courtyard.
The advice given by elders to the locals has been to not discuss Ajmal Kasab with anyone. A local imam masjid reportedly used the mosque’s loudspeaker to tell his audience to stay away from the affair. It is this shield of silence that greeted journalists in Faridkot as they converged on the village again looking for stories to mark Ajmal Kasab’s hanging in distant Pune.
In the days following the Faridkot revelation in 2008, Pakistan and India remained locked in a tense exchange over the identity and origins of the Mumbai attackers. Pakistan was initially reluctant to admit that Ajmal was its national as the Indian side demanded action against the “Pakistan-based” perpetrators of the terrorist act.
Then, on Dec 10, 2008, Mahmood Durrani, adviser to the prime minister, did finally accept that Ajmal was a Pakistani citizen — a disclosure that cost Durrani his job. Around the same time, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif told journalist Kim Barker of evidence which suggested that Ajmal did indeed belong to Faridkot. As the facts emerged, in time, Islamabad did shift from an outright denial to insisting on a distinction between the “state actors” and “non-state” actors, under pressure from India and the West to investigate and try Lashkar-e-Taiba men accused of masterminding Mumbai attacks.
Away from the trials and governmental standoffs, the phenomenon called Ajmal Kasab has received but only superficial attention and that too by and large from journalists working by short deadlines. The prosperous fields, the smoke-emitting mills and Amir Kasab’s own not-so-poor status have not prevented observers from looking at it from the classical poverty angle.
There is a book written by an Indian journalist which “dedicates several chapters to highlighting the Pakistani paradoxes that gave birth to Ajmal the terrorist” placing Faridkot “in an imaginary terrain existing at a distance from… civilisation”.
Task done? No need to explore any further and find out other linkages between Ajmal Kasab and his act, reasons such as enshrined in the thesis about clash between civilisations? It is this single-track approach that lends greater mystery to the affair, in the name of simplified reading and where discussion is stunted and an earnest probe is put on hold, denial comes easy. In the hush-hush of whispers Faridkot remains largely undiscovered beneath a pile of nationalist to administrative to faith-based excuses.
Hanging Kasab was pettily mundane — keeping him alive was much more meaningful.
Ajmal kasab was a son of a poor villager with extaordinary potenial buried inside him.Had this potential been channalized in the right direction for the good service of humanity he could have delivered entirely different results and the world could have bestowed on him awards after awards.In our sub continent our honourable leaders are not statesmen therefore no clear goals for leaders and the subjects.Every one including leaders are daily workers trying to take care of today by fair or foul means.Indian leaders have bigger resposibility as he is far bigger in all repects than other member states of the sub continet.He has to show megananmity instead of being big brother whose command is to be always followed.This will allow us to channalize the potential of our youth for the welfare of our sub continent and may be for the whole humanity.
I think Pakistanis are used to live in fear…..ban of cell phones, pillion riding , shrines closures etc etc…
The people & the main stream parties need to decide what is next for them..
Is the threat by the LET a criminal offence? The Pakistani government never seems to take any action against these wanted criminals. Do they not want peace with India?
That is the most annoying thing on part of Pakistani state. They should clean up this dirt.
Pakistan should concentrate on Nationaleducation, health , agriculture, industrialization & infrastructure.
Denial is the national character of the pakis.
denial is the national character of every nation nowadays. you should read the news more often.
This mystery can be resolved if those who are giving threats of taking revenge of Ajmal Qassab,s death are taken to the trial.
I disagree with the reader’s comment about Times of India.
Thanks to DAWN for impartial reporting . This grade of journalism is need of the Hour & shall help to dispel a lot of misunderstandings on both sides of the Boarder.
Dawn is not impartial.
Times of india is most corrupt paper i have ever seen…dawn is better…
A very well written article. However, I feel compelled to add a few lines based on the hateful comments of our neighbors who suffered at the hands of these monsters. James Holmes, an American, killed several people in Colorado, USA during a screening of Batman Returns. Behring Breivik, a Norwegian was responsible for the 2011 Norway attacks. Does this mean we blame all Americans or all Norwegians. We suffer at the hands of these extremists every day. There are several more questions that the Indian government too needs to answer. How did these terrorists make it into the Indian waters undetected? Why didn’t border patrol catch them earlier? We are all victims at the hands of the same villains. Politicians are the same every where as are the people with homicidal tendencies. We suffer the hands of both.
Juvenile comments, these. It is no ones case that criminals are not found in other countries. Only that we don’t find another example of the state making every effort possible to shield such monsters at the same time mouthing inane platitudes. No one believes that Pakistan will not do this again. Some sane comments that we get to read on this portal, do not seem to matter in a country deliberately fed on hatred by generations of leaders who have never shown any inclination to think well of their countrymen. Even today, the slide that we see in Pakistan’s fortunes, is all of the making of its own leaders, whether uniformed or not. I saw someone comment that democracy does not seem to work in Pakistan. Sorry boss, we choose democracy not because it suits in the short run, but because we reject all other alternatives as being inferior. I don’t think I need to tell Pakistanis about how democracy can be better than any other system. They have experienced more than Indians to know better. All countries have suffered imperfect democracies. A better democratic country does not drop from heaven. We need to work on it continuously. Even today, ours is far from perfect. But not once do we ever imagine that any other system could be better. Not even if it means faster development and more money in our pockets.
And we do not provide them state funerals like you guys did to Bal Thakeray
Thank you for your comments Rajiv. How were these monsters created in the first place? The US actually encouraged the breeding of the Taliban when they were the Mujahideen in the war against the Soviet Union. Now, with the drone attacks, the people left without families are the ones who enroll with the terrorists. Its a snow ball that cannot be stooped. We are fighting a difficult war against our own and its a painful one at that. We weed out and kill people from within us. We lose people every day. There are good and bad people in every religion, in every country, we have had more than our fair share because our politicians played us. We have not been lucky enough to have good politicians because no respectable person would want to be one. I’m just amazed as to how when you belong to a country whose leader became the epitome of preaching peace and forgiveness, you spew such hatred.
Ambreen let us not attempt to place the blame elsewhere. Ajmal Kasab was driven to this destiny by Zaki ur rehamn & likes of Hafiz Sayed. Even USA has failed in Afganistan. Force & voilence can never achieve ends. If Hafiz sayed thinks he can pressurize or conquer India then he is wrong. Let the youth of Pakistan realize their life through peace n reason. What will you do to some one who kills 166 innocent people in 5 minutes. This is sheer madness.
Please tell these merchants of death that they can not misguide the youth of Pakistan.
Let us look forward to an era of reason & logical understanding of modern challanges arround us. India & Pakistan both have tremendous potential. Our ancestors are same ; our socio psychological mechanisms are same; let us look at an era of social progress in ultimate peace.
Swaran Singh
As salam alaikum,
I am an Indian Muslim. Though there are many poor young Muslims in India who have similar childhood like Kasab, out here we don’t have bearded people in Masjids waiting to snatch our children to turn them into killing machines. Out here the police and security forces take a serious note of any mention of jihad in Masjids and public gatherings. Out here we have the freedom to kick out those mullahs who target our children to quit schools, universities and hostels to join tabligh (preaching). I don’t say ours is a perfect country, but I personally have never feared some one killing me or my family during Friday prayers or Eid gatherings. I pity Kasab’s mother more than any one else. What crime did she do to suffer this? I pray Allah (swt) that people who turn innocent children into killers are held accountable on the day on judgement. May the curse of all poor mothers haunt them in this life and here after.
dear .. i feel glad after readin ur post… whether in form of any religion or race, the third world has its harsh realities. for vested interests ppl can b uesd by powers. regards
In my opinion instead of investigating who Ajmal Kasab was , we need to know what were the reasons that turned Ajmal Kasab into a terrorist.
Let’s consider this kid as a small pawn in the pond or war against humanity. there are many kids who breed in this pond. We as humans should concentrate on the cleanup of these ponds……
Good & wonderfully written.
I am also a regular reader of Dawn, I feel that dawn only is a real news paper in Pakistan, specially after reading this article.
It is far better than Times of India
Dawn = BBC
Do not like BBC-sorry for the thumb down
Dawn is a very good, objective, liberal and secular newspaper. I think its Indian equivalent would be ‘The Hindu’. Times of India, Hindustan Times and Asian Age are also some where in the same category.
God to think about it… how many bad things have happened under this one government… first mumbai attack then sri lanka team attack and then the bin laden raid. It doesn’t feel like these guys have been only around for 5 years it seems like an eternity. Please no more democracy it just doesn’t seem like it works in our land.
Syed, Let’s not get dejected so easily – democracy isn’t a magic pill that cures things overnight. Embracing it regardless will (eventually) give people the power, they need to not be dictated by the handful few.
The best example of the outcome of democracy is this article from Dawn. Mull over it.
A close introspection is much needed in Pakistan today and that’s precisely done by the writers.
Bravo! a long lasting peace with India can only be gained by being true and honest. Kasab was a pawn, it’s high time some brave souls should figure out the true game players and bring them to justice!
I am an Indian and would request that editors of Dawn give classess in journalism to Indian media. Wish India had a paper like Dawn.
AJ – May be you read a selected few Indian newspapers. Like Dawn there are good newspapers in India too.
In India, the only honest newspaper is The Hindu. But since it is south india focused and doesn’t carry glossy photos of semi-nude women or masala news, it has not gained much ground. The mass market is thus ruled by the tabloid called Times of India, and its likes.
Like What? Several times, I attempted different papers, only to be turned off by their level of writing.. every single time.
Dawn is trying to take credit for what it didn’t do. I read Dawn everyday after Mumbai attacks. India had given intricate details and FBI had verified it. Yet, Dawn along with other Pakistani newspapers kept denying it for more than few weeks. First, they said there were three Faridkots. Then, they said there was no Kasab family. It was a British journalist who first started reporting from Faridkot. Dawn and Pakistani government would have no credibility if they kept denying it after a month in the face of overwhelming evidence. It only reluctantly accepted that Kasab was a Pakistani. Oh, and DAWN reported that Christian doctor in Pakistan was killed in blast in Pakistan right after the Mumbai attacks and blamed it on RAW. I mean, really? Go and read the editions of Dawn after the Mumbai attacks again. Claiming credit for something Dawn didn’t do is shameless.
Indeed,that is my recollection too, as that of Naresh. I was so disappointed at the time that a newspaper of Dawn’s standing, provided the same kind of excuses that the other Pakistani newspapers did – and concluded to myself that this was probably because of the disinformation being spread by the intelligence agencies. But I also concluded that Dawn was about as nationalistic as the rest. This above article (at least) has a healing touch.
Roger
Very Good Article.
Time for us PAKISTANIS to look within and accept responsibility!
We should be ashamed of our selves and our Govt… putting heads in the sand, denials by our people, our media etc etc. Let us all Look in the mirror and face reality. Killings of Innocent human beings by Kasab did not make our Allah any happier. He was justly hanged for 150 or so people he killed. Pray to Allah and ask for Peace. Shedding blood of others will not make this country prosperous.
Well said
Good factual details. Good job – Dawn
What facts,,,made up ones?
Kasab commited a criminal act. But Pakistani soldiers in Kargil did not, and they were disowned by their govt. too, leaving the Indian Army to bury the dead among them. Even if it’s citizen commits a crime abroad every nation on earth prefers to get him back rather than let him rot abroad. That is what gives a nation an “Identity”, and makes it “Home” to a citizen
But Pakistan’s leaders are exiled, and its citizens in trouble abroad disowned – does that feel like a home you can always go back to?
You don’t have to agree with Kasab’s actions but, he was your countryman!
Regardless of whether he was our country man or not, he needed to be punished in a country where he had committed the act. Lots of countries refuse to extradite criminals if they commit a heinous crime. Just as an example, please feel free to google the Amanda Knox case who was held in Italy for 4 years for her trial and appeal
I went through the article of your news paper for the first time and it left some positive impression on my mind. The people who run this news paper should be believing in some ethics in life and seems to be truth seekers. I can tell you for certainty if they stick to their present values, they uphold, they will be respected by the people who matter every where, all over the world.
Journalism is to bring out the facts to light rather than supporting vested interests of Governments which often use it as tool of propaganda for their own good but certainly Dawn is doing a great job in preserving its status as “free media unit” at a time when pakistan is going through its hardest times.
“I am an Indian and regular reader of The Dawn. The standard of this paper is really very high, probably comparable to The BBC. This is another piece which I enjoyed a lot and could not help but drop a few lines.”
I Agree and same with me.
Kasab was plainly a trigger, an insignificant player, but the real players are still out there roaming freely, brainwashing and plotting other terror acts. Who will catch and hang them?
The pakistani public now has the opportunity to vindicate itself by demanding the arrests and prosecution of the ringleaders who are roaming free in plain sight.I am sure that the God u believe in will be truly happy and may bless the nation for following the path of righteousness. We are after all children of the same God.
I dont think the Pakistani public needs to vindicate itself of anything. It has already paid a higher price than any other nation on this planet.
I am an Indian and my salute to the Dawn for the unbiased journalism. I feel sad for Ajmal Kasab. He was a poor guy brain washed and misused by some criminal minds against India.
As a Pakistani, I apologize to the Indians for such a heinous act committed by a few terrorists who unfortunately hail from the same land as the rest of us peace loving people.. Nevertheless, we too are the victim of these crimes day in and day out. These criminal minds take several innocent lives in Pakistan every day. I feel a lot of the hateful comments against the Pakistanis are misguided because we too are suffering every day because of this.
Dear Brother – you touched my heart. It is rare that Pakistanis acknowledge that the heinous acts in 2008 were committed by their compatriots. To heal the wounds, it would indeed be appropriate for Pakistan to show expressions of regret that some sons of Pakistan committed the act and bring the others to book.
Roger
Apology accepted.We are all from the same source.This in India we always believe.The Pakistani govt needs to make it right by arresting and punishing the perpetrators.I t always pains me to see the average Pakistani (many of whom are good friends) being held responsible for the act of a devilish few.
Same source?
Calm down Ambreen. Has any Saudi ever apologised to USA for the fact that all 19 suicide bombers on 9/11 were Saudi nationals? We have nothing to apologise for.
Ambreen’s apology is evidence of his greater sense of identification with Pakistan on the one hand and with humanity on the other. As a human he identifies himself with the 166 victims and as a Pakistani he identifies himself with the 10 terrorists. Both are indications of a superior human being who has been bestowed by God with the qualities that He loves – compassion and humility. It seems God ignored the Saudis when He was distributing these qualities. Maybe some Pakistanis were also left out. (By the way, is Ambreen a he or a she?)