Devil's Advocate: David Mulford on Pak role in 26/11

THE POINT ABOUT PAKISTAN: US Ambassador David Mulford says terrorist attacks in Mumbai had Pakistani link.

        

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How does Washington today regard the standoff between India and Pakistan in the wake of the terrorist attack in Mumbai? Karan Thapar asked this question to David Mulford, America’s ambassador to India.

Karan Thapar:Earlier this week a dossier containing the information on evidence collected by the Indian Government was given to you. What's your assessment of its content?

David Mulford: From what I've seen it involves a great deal of material which is very credible derived by Indian govt but also to some extent by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) cooperating in Mumbai with the authorities there and the package is very credible.

Karan Thapar: You used the word 'material.' Does that mean information or evidence?

David Mulford: I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not a very good person to answer that but it is information which tells very compelling facts and I am not a judge about the what the rules of evidence are in a court but it certainly is an accurate account of what happened.

Karan Thapar: And you've described the data as 'credible.' You have no doubt about the credibility whatsoever?

David Mulford: As far as the FBI is concerned, they don't deal in non-credible material. They are a serious, professional organisation supported by absolutely hi-tech quality techniques and they're going to produce stuff that is irrefutable.

Karan Thapar: So the association of the FBI with this dossier, in a sense, underwrites and underlines the credibility of…

David Mulford: I wouldn't put it that way because I don't know what actually happened at the preparation process. What I am saying is that the information that the FBI derived was shared—all of it—and the relationship was really close, so I am presuming that when they prepared the dossier, they felt they needed to use the material from FBI contribution.

Karan Thapar: You are quoted as having said that a lot of that dossier was prepared with FBI help.

David Mulford: No, I don't want to leave that impression that it was with FBI's help. The dossier was prepared by the Government of India. Materials from the FBI were available for them to use.

Karan Thapar: And it was used extensively?

David Mulford: As far as I can see, it was used extensively because much of the information is the same.

Karan Thapar: Is it true that the FBI played a critical role in retrieving details of phone calls that have been made from the burnt out or melted down cell phones that were found around the terrorists?

David Mulford: That's been reported.

Karan Thapar: And that's true?

David Mulford: As far as I know, yes.

Karan Thapar: Does it mean that some or perhaps all of the telephone intercepts the Government has were provided through the FBI?

David Mulford: I can't comment on that. I don't know the extent of it.

Karan Thapar: When you say you don't know the extent of that, is it possible that some of the intercepts have been…

David Mulford: Well, I am not in the middle of that investigation so I don't think you can really push me to be an expert on the exact composition of the data and who have what and how much and what percentage of this and that and so on.

Karan Thapar: It is also reported that the FBI have had nine hours of access to question Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist that is in the custody of the Indian police. Does that mean that the FBI have had a fairly reasonable amount of time to thoroughly question him?

David Mulford: Yes.

Karan Thapar: And what picture of Kasab emerges from the information that the FBI have got?

David Mulford: I think the picture's been presented.

Karan Thapar: So the FBI impression of Kasab accords very closely with that which the Indian Government has explained to the Indian people through the press?