Gujarat govt hails Headley disclosure
Ahmedabad/ Mumbai, Feb. 11: The BJP government in Gujarat Thursday hailed the disclosure by terrorist David Headley that Mumbai girl Ishrat Jahan was an operative of militant outfit Lashkar- e- Tayyaba, but her family said her name was being used for “political benefit of some big people”.
“Headley’s testimony before a Mumbai court today has proved that Ishrat was receiving guidance from LeT and tried to spread terror in Gujarat at that time. The Gujarat police thwarted all kinds of terrorist attacks in the past and we will continue to work in that direction,” Gujarat minister of state for home Rajni Patel said.
Another senior BJP minister Vijay Rupani slammed the Congress for “politicising” the issue and alleged the Opposition tried to malign the image of then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and state home minister Amit Shah at that time over the encounter of Ishrat and three others.
“When Modiji as chief minister and Amitbhai as home minister were taking strong steps to curb terrorism in Gujarat and in India, the Congress tried to politicise the whole issue by claiming that terrorists were innocent,” said Rupani, who holds the transport portfolio.
“Now, after Headley’s testimony, it is established that Ishrat was a terrorist and steps taken by our government at that time were just and proper. Now, everyone has to admit that the Gujarat government was right at that time.”
Gujarat Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia said the high court as well as the SIT have already “admitted” that the 2004 encounter was fake, and demanded a fresh probe in the episode.
“After today’s claim by Headley, there must be a fresh probe about who was Ishrat and in what activities she was involved. It is a fact that many fake encounters took place in Gujarat and Ishrat’s encounter was one of them,” he said.
“As a party, we do not want to comment much. It is not important who was Ishrat. It is a fact that her encounter was fake and the high court as well as SIT have admitted the same in the past,” added Mr Modhwadia.