David Headley is back in headlines and his deposition is a subject of discussion across news rooms. It is now public knowledge that David Headley was a member of LeT (Laskhar-e-Toiba) and also a double agent for United States intelligence agencies. Though he is sentenced to 35 years in US prison; since he is an asset for US, the most powerful nation on the earth, will never extradite him to other countries. The pretext is that US will never extradite its citizens. Had he been just a criminal and not a double agent, there could have some leverage for India to extradite. As all its options had exhausted, India went ahead with a conditional pardon of Headley with him turning as approver.  However India has not closed the option of extradition just yet.

The most important thing for United States is India should not meddle too much on how he was used by America and for what he was used. However, under the constraints set by United States, India negotiated well with them and there is confidence that India can nail Pakistan on 26/11. One of the conditions for plea bargaining in the US court was to spare his life and get only 35 years sentence. In return he would truthfully cooperate with India, in and Indian court. His "approver" status is conditional too. If Indian public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam finds that he is lying, the court can take the "approver" status back and if he is extradited to India, his sentence could be severe. In case David lies and Indians can prove it to US prosecution's satisfaction that he did not keep his promise, his plea bargain may no longer be valid and theoretically he may get capital punishment per US law. It is believed that this "understanding" between US and India is from public prosecutor Nikam and he apparently ran it by National Security advisor Ajit Doval who got an approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Headley’s revelations mostly confirm all that Indian investigative agencies know. Here are his revelations to NIA (National Investigative Agency) four years ago. (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/10-things-david-headley-told-nia-in-2010-interrogation/story-J5JI1JChUIrMO5U34bemdK.html). Apart from all that is already known, the biggest revelation was that LeT has a women wing and also a naval wing. He also revealed that Ishrat Jahan who was killed in an encounter was a LeT member. In summary, the Indian investigators are confirming the details of known pointers. It is an open and shut case of Pakistan’s direct involvement in the terror attack. 

Rather than going and collating the details of the 26/11 attacks of Mumbai and salient features of involvement of Pakistan, LeT and handlers in India, this article will try to delve certain events during that time frame and try connecting the dots. The story (Kahaani) of Mumbai attacks and events around it is filled with double agents of multiple countries, plausible deniability for several, the dance and discomfort of New- Delhi elite and the usual whining of India’s Main Stream Media.

The Kahaani or story of 26/11 has the hallmark of dirty games of international intelligence agencies to achieve a goal. We see this stuff in western movies specifically those written by Tom Clancy and several others. Some fiction is always involved in the movies for entertainment but they also reveal truth for those who can read between lines.

Every Kahaani will have a plot and an end goal. So what is really an end goal for Mumbai 26/11? If it is just another terror attack then what was the need to make it high profile especially after the deal between US-India-Pak after Operation Parakram (Read more at https://www.myind.net/modi-extremely-risky-attempt-change-pakistan-narrative ). Terror attacks, attacking and killing Indian security men across porous borders of Indo-Pak are a regular affair. The days of making the Kashmir issue global have long passed, Terror cannot achieve geo-political goals in this era. To achieve some grand economic meltdown or other such stuff, a terror attack’s impacts are always temporary and the cities and countries recovered pretty fast. Put any kind of analyst hat, the 26/11 attacks have no goals from a regional or even a near term global geopolitical perspectives.

If there are no benefits and no near term goals then what is the plot of the 26/11 Kahaani? Why would such a high profile attack using a slew of institutions and dirty games of various countries and their agencies have to be used? The 26/11 Kahaani has a goal and hence it was such a high profile one else the whole world can be called truly foolish.

During the regime of NDA-1 several events in the strategic arena have occurred. India tested its Nukes, successfully changed the terror narrative with respect to Pakistan via Operation Parakram. In this context please refer to “war of attrition” game model at https://www.myind.net/modi-extremely-risky-attempt-change-pakistan-narrative. The pre-NDA1 rule was the best for several internal vested interests of India, Pakistan’s terror factory and the global players who use “plausible deniability” based concept of “freedom fighters Vs terrorists”.  In addition, that model also keeps India bogged down as only a regional player.

The 26/11 Kahaani is truly an attempt to fulfil the desire of several internal and external “gangs” to roll back India to level of pre-1999 era. Connect all the dots of UPA-1 actions. It created a strawman argument called “Hindu Terror” using a non-disclosable classified operation of infiltration of Military Intelligence to collect human intelligence. It equated a terror act like the Samjhauta express blasts to ‘Hindu terror’. New CBI cases were filed to investigate the deaths of terrorists such as Ishrat Jahan and Sohrabuddin who were killed in encounter operations.

The attempt was very straight forward. It was to build a case where they could ‘corner’ Narendra Modi who was then rising star of opposition. The plot for external forces is to create a vacuum politically in a democracy where the real “India first interests” based groups are kept at bay from being in the ruling corridors. The leaderless and struggling Congress party thought by removing these and reviving the faith in Muslim population can bring invincible results in the elections. For this purpose it used its vast grip on the India’s establishment bureaucrats in the plot.

The oddest thing about the David Headley case is that the guy was arrested by US, based on a tip-off from UK. Note that UK despite its many connections with India did not tip-off India. Questions did arise that maybe India was going to arrest David Headley and had discussed this with UK or did UK come to know and tipped off US to avoid the embarrassment? Meanwhile there are a number of Indian defenses that were broken by David Headley. MEA visa application in Chicago is handled by IB. Airport transits in India are handled by IB. David Headley registering in hotels in Delhi and Delhi Police a sister organization of IB that checks the registers.  David Headley was running around in Mumbai with known names, renting boats etc. ATS or Special Branch should have come to know.

David Headley flouted many norms and took repeated flights to India sometimes from Pakistan. These are the things that IB usually notices. The oddest is the fisherwoman claiming after David Headley arrest, to have been interviewed by him as part of some US team of investigators. So most likely India was going to reel him in on his next visit. UK picked up this information and probably sent it to US. Read details from http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/defenders-of-nsa-surveillance-omit-most-of-mumbai-plotters-story/article4820568.ece . In this context recall the odd remarks of Manmohan Singh to MK Narayanan when he wanted to quit, something to the effect of “You tried your best and it didn't work out"

In summary the Kahaani of Mumbai attacks was connivance and incompetence.

The narrative of making killed LeT terrorists as martyrs of “fake encounters”, making the true intelligence folks as rogues and create a new term called “Hindu Terror” raises many questions.

Here are salient points of the Kahaani:

David Headley was a convicted drug smuggler jailed after being caught. He was earlier successfully smuggling drugs from Pakistan. He was caught, most likely US tipped off by Pakistan handlers. David Headley gets released probably right after 9/11 and is allegedly tasked to go to former associates in Pakistan. It is not known what David Headley was doing until he admitted that he joined LeT most likely after Operation Parakram.

David Headley changes names in 2006 and gets visa from Chicago Consulate. Now visas are issued by internal security folks after application with pictures. One set in consulate and other in Delhi. It is strange that Delhi didn't know about him. David Headley buys orange threads from Siddhivinayak temple. Plainly he is creating 'evidence' for saffron terror. David Headley starts scouting targets more than required. He acts as agent provocateur to make it worse than originally planned by Pakistani terrorists.

Note David Headley confirms Indian SIM cards used by the terrorists. No US help in transcripts as was told at that time. Then why was US role emphasized? Indian media already was told US was helping to remove doubt.

SI Omble captures Kasab and Kasab is shown on TV with his saffron wrist band. NSG comes to Mumbai quite late. Soon after 26/11 siege is over, MK Narayanan offers to quit.  Ajit Doval giving approver status to David Headley to give testimony to fill in blanks is a master stroke. Let us hope that many links will soon be revealed. A whole lot could be hiding there.

Even if you want to doubt all that written above was just a fiction of imagination, here come the revelations by former special director of Intelligence Bureau Rajinder Kumar of UPA government’s “creativity” at the time when Headley’s revelations are being recorded.

Let us hope to see some arrests in this Kahaani as it happened like in the movie Kahaani.