New Delhi, 19 December, 2008: Mr. Syed Shahabuddin, ex.MP has issued the following statement.
What Shri A. R. Antulay said is being deliberately misinterpreted. He is being pilloried and pressured to resign. He did not absolve Pakistan nor deny that the terrorists were of Pakistani origin and that the attack was organized in and launched from Pakistan. What Shri Antulay said does not in any way diminish our case on Pakistani responsibility for the terrorist attack.
No doubt he has brought out the doubts in the public mind about the circumstances of the killing of Hemant Karkare and his colleagues, which have arisen because of inconsistencies in the official and media reports.
Ever since Karkare had successfully unveiled the face of Hindutva Terrorism he was a target of abuse and vilification. Senior political leaders like Advani and Thakre had even called him a traitor. Obviously the Hindutva groups were rattled by the exposure. He was an obvious candidate for elimination.
What Shri Antulay has hinted at, and which I endorse, is that there might have been a parallel conspiracy to silence Karkare and an elimination squad may have been following him. When they got an opportunity in the noise and dust generated by the terrorist attack, they killed him.
In any case the suspicious circumstances must be looked into by high level inquiry and they should not be simply swept under the carpet.
As Indians we owe this to Karkare.
(Syed Shahabuddin)
New Delhi
19.12.2008
syed shahabuddin
