By Anand Singh
New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) One of the Pathankot terrorists, who attacked an IAF base at Pathankot, Punjab, on January 2, spoke to his mother in Pakistan over a cell phone to express his last wish and called for a feast for his friends after his death, according to intercepts by the NIA.
Nasir Hussain of Vehari in Pakistan made multiple calls to his handlers and relatives from the two cell phones he and other terrorists snatched from two locals while the group made its way to the Indian Air Force base, according to an NIA chargesheet filed on Monday.
The chargesheet alleged that Hussain during his 18-minute conversation with a woman, whom he addressed as his mother, asked her to record his conversation on her mobile set.
He asked the woman "to host a 'dawat' (feast) for my 'derawala' friends after my death", the anti-terror probe agency said, citing intercepts.
Hussain also took the names of some of his family members and relatives -- Mudassir, Mariyam and Altamash.
He told his mother that the group infiltrated into the Indian territory at 2 a.m. on December 30, 2015 -- three days before they stormed into the military base and killed seven soldiers in a fierce gunfight.
"He also spoke to his brother or cousin who was referred to by the name Babar, and to another person name(d) Munna," the chargeshet read.
"During the conversation with his mother, Hussain mentioned about one 'ustad' (teacher) who was supposed to come to her with his 'wasihat' (last wish) after his death," said the chargesheet that named Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and three others as the masterminds of the terror attack.
The telephone call was made while the terrorists were hiding inside the air base as he told his mother that they were about to attack the camp.
The calls were made about 9.20 a.m. on January 1, 2016, to Pakistan telephone number +92 3000 957 212. The NIA said it belonged to Khayam Bhatti, also known as Babar Bhatti, a local merchandise shop in Sialkot of Pakistan.
"Hussain also disclosed the names of his other three associates as Hafiz Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayoom," the NIA said. It said that Hussain tried to call on the same number around 8.40 a.m. in the morning but the call was not responded to.
(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)
