03-05-10 Mumbai gunman convicted of murder

The surviving gunman from the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008 was today convicted of murder and waging war against India.Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab,a Pakistani national,is due to be sentenced in the next couple of days.He is expected to receive the death penalty.The court accepted the prosecution argument that the plot was hatched in Pakistan.Speaking before the verdict was announced,the prosecutor Ujwal Nikam said there was irrefutable evidence that members of the Pakistani military were involved,describing it as a "classic case of state-sponsored terrorism".Once Kasab has been sentenced the case - which has been heard by a special court sitting in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail - must go to the high court for ratification.Kasab can then appeal to India's supreme court and if that is unsuccessful,he can appeal to the president for clemency.Kasab was one of 10 gunmen who travelled by from Pakistan to Mumbai,landing on 26 November 2008 before launching an attack that killed 166 people at the main railway station,two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre.He was the only gunman to survive.Families of the victims today welcomed the verdict but expressed concern that the legal process could be dragged out for years.Although the trial was concluded in an unusually swift 11 months,India's legal system is notoriously protracted.The widow of the counter-terrorism police chief Hemant Karkare,who was shot dead as he tried to confront the gunmen,said Kasab should be executed without delay."He should not be given the chance to go to the supreme court.He should be punished immediately," said Kavita Karkare.Other relatives vented their anger at Pakistan,expressing concern that the country remains a haven for terrorist training camps.