Mumbai, July 24: The Fallen Star is among the books that captured 22-year-old Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab has read in jail while undergoing trial in the 26/11 attacks.
Mumbai Under AttackSitara Jo Toot Gaya is one of the four Urdu books that the terrorist has read while lodged in the high-security egg cell at Arthur Road Jail in Central Mumbai. He was given the book by his lawyer Abbas Kazmi.
Kazmi, who presented the books to Ajmal through the jail authorities, did so after receiving permission from the court. The book of stories had a major impact on the Pakistani national, a source said.
The terrorist, who by his own admission has only had a primary education, has been influenced by the book and has been reading it over the past few days in his specially constructed cell in the jail, they said.
The other books the terrorist has on his reading list are a book on magic and magicians titled Talsim Kadah, Tibbe Nababi Aur Jadded, which deals with modern and traditional science, and a book on Mohammed bin Qasim, the first Arab to invade Sindh.
Qasim was a mere 17-year-old lad when he was ordered by the caliph to attack Sindh. Qasim had conquered Sindh and the Punjab. The conquest marked the beginning of Islamic rule in the region and in India.
Ajmal had sought Urdu newspapers in the initial stage of the trial, but he was denied permission by the court and he did not have the money to pay for the papers.
Ajmal said he had been carrying over Rs4,000 in Indian currency at the time of his arrest on November 27 and that money should be returned to him to buy newspapers and rations from the jail canteen.
But judge ML Tahaliyani ruled that the currency was among the articles presented as evidence in court and could not be returned to him during the trial.
Earlier, with the court’s permission, Kazmi had given Ajmal a book of jokes, a comic book, and a book of stories. After reading these books, Ajmal came across the other titles which he asked for and was given by his lawyer.
—PTI