India issues fresh letter to Morocco for questioning Headly`s estranged wife

Continuing its efforts to expose the role of state actors in Pakistan and the LeT chief in 26/11 attacks, India has again sent a fresh Letters to Morocco for questioning of David Headley`s estranged wife.

New Delhi: Continuing its efforts to expose the role of state actors in Pakistan and the LeT chief in 26/11 attacks, India has again sent a fresh Letters Rogatory to Morocco for questioning of Faiza Outalha, Pakistani- American terrorist David Headley`s estranged wife, after its earlier request was returned due to technical reasons.

The Union Home Ministry cleared a fresh Letter Rogatory (LR) after the Government of Morocco returned the previous one asking for a French translation of the same document and as per the rule of the requested country, official sources said on Sunday. French is generally used by the Moroccan government for international diplomacy purposes. In the absence of any Mutual Assistance Legal Treaty between India and Morocco, the LR has been issued on the basis of "Assurance of Reciprocity", thereby promising the African country of all assistance in any legal cases in future. The questioning and recording of statement of Outulha was necessary as she had a first hand account of Headley`s association with Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and other state actors of Pakistan including serving Army officials, the sources said. The LR for recording the statement of Outalha was ordered by an NIA court last year after the National Investigating Agency stated that she had visited India twice and was used by Headley while carrying out a reconnaissance mission at Hotel Taj in Mumbai where she was ostensibly on a visit. As Headley is likely to be sentenced by the US court this week thereby closing all doors to Indian investigators for his extradition here or any chances of further questioning, the statement of the Moroccan lady will help in completing the jigsaw about role of ISI officials. India has already secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against two Pakistan Army officials -- Major Iqbal and Major Samir Ali -- believed to be working for ISI and were instrumental in training of Headley. During her stay in Pakistan, Outalha had met Saeed and complained about Headley to him. She had also gone to the US embassy in Islamabad to complain about the America-born terrorist and his role in terror groups like LeT and Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami, the sources said. Outalha, who married 52-year-old Headley in February 2007 and divorced him a year later, had been able to give security agencies an insight into the personal life of Headley which included connections he had in Mumbai. After marrying him again, she had flown to Mumbai from Karachi and the second time during which she has crossed over through Wagah border into India. She had come for the first time in 2007 and stayed with the terror suspect in Taj Mahal Hotel and later in Oberoi-Trident. Both the luxury hotels were targeted by the terrorists during the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008. She had again come in May 2008 via Wagah and went straight to Manali, where she was on a holiday. She later toured some areas of Shimla including nearby Kufri, a popular tourist destination. PTI