New Delhi, July 3
In a startling revelation, the UN Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee has said Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative Arif Qasmani utilised the money received from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to facilitate terrorist attacks, including the July 2006 train bombings in Mumbai and the Samjhauta Express blasts in Panipat in February 2007.

Besides Qasmani, the committee has included two other terrorists, all residents of Pakistan, to its list of individuals whose assets are to be frozen and on whom a travel embargo is to be imposed. The other two terrorists are: Mohammed Yahya Mujahid and Fazeel-A-Tul Shaykh Abu Mohammed Ameen Al-Peshawari.

About Qasmani, the committee said he was the chief coordinator of LeT dealings with outside organisations and had provided significant support for LeT terrorist operations. Qasmani utilised money that he received from Dawood to facilitate the Mumbai train bombings and the Samjhauta Express blasts. He also provided financial and other support to Al-Qaida.

When asked to comment on the development, official sources here said the revelation by the UN committee had proved India’s apprehension about a Pakistani angle to the two incidents true. Pakistan had all along been pointing an accusing finger at India for these incidents and even went to the extent of suggesting a link between the Malegaon and Samjhauta blasts. However, it was now clear that certain Pakistani individuals have strong links with these incidents.

About Mujahid, the UN committee said he had served as the LeT media spokesman since mid-2001 and issued statements on behalf of the terrorist organisation on numerous occasions, including after the December 2001 LeT attacks on Parliament and following the Mumbai attacks.