'A pack of lies': Former Pakistan minister Rehman Malik rubbishes Headley's testimony

Islamabad: Accusing India of trying to defame Pakistan by concocting confessions out of David Headley, former interior minister Rehman Malik has termed Pakistani-American terrorist’s testimony in the 2008 Mumbai attack case as “a pack of lies”.

On the second day of his video-linked testimony from an undisclosed location in the US, the Pakistani-American claimed on Tuesday Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants planned to attack on a meeting of Indian defence scientists at the Taj Mahal hotel about a year before they struck on 26/11.

The Express Tribune reported that Malik, who was interior minister when Mumbai attack occurred, accused India of trying to defame Pakistan by concocting confessions out of Headley.

“His confessions are all a pack of lies and fabricated statements,” Malik, who heads the Senate’s Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, said.

Brushing aside all “allegations levelled by India against Pakistan for ulterior motives”, the former PPP lawmaker claimed Headley was “planted” by Indian intelligence agency for “executing the Mumbai attacks and then getting concocted statements from him”.

“We have the details about who paid tickets, who funded him and how he recruited non-state actors from Pakistan [for the attack>,” Malik claimed.

Headley, 55, was jailed for 35 years in 2013 by a Chicago court for his role in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The deposition of Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley before a court in Mumbai for the third consecutive day, was on Wednesday adjourned till Thursday due to a technical problem in the video-link at the US end.

“There was a technical snag in the video conference link from their side (US) due to which we could not connect despite several attempts since morning,” Special Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told PTI. The testimony will continue tomorrow, he said.

The deposition, initially planned till 12 February, may now extend for some more time. Headley, for the past two days, is deposing from an undisclosed location in the US in connection with the 26/11 terror attacks case.

In his bare all deposition, Headley revealed about how ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan by providing financial, military and moral support. He also said that he also used to work for ISI and met many Pakistan army officials.

He also said that he had suggested to LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and its operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi about dragging US government to court for banning LeT as a global terror outfit.

PTI