Ishrat case: IB had evidence of her LeT links; don't know why affidavits changed, says ex-NSA MK Narayanan

New Delhi: The Intelligence Bureau (IB) had a “fairly good evidence” of Ishrat Jahan’s alleged links with the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) but doesn't why the government has changed her affidavits, Ex-NSA M K Narayanan has said.

The former national security adviser said it is obvious the government affidavits in the Ishrat Jahan case were changed but he does not know the reasons for it.

Ishrat Jahan was killed in a police encounter in 2004.

Narayanan, who is on a visit to London, told HT that intelligence agencies produce many reports but it is up to the government of the day to accept them and act.

Former home minister GK Pillai has created a political storm after he recently revealed to a television channel that the first government affidavit submitted in court mentioned Jahan’s links with LeT, while the second one did not. He said that the change was made at the political level during the time of UPA government.

“It is obvious that the affidavit was changed. (Former home minister P) Chidambaram seems to have said that an intelligence report is not necessarily proof, but I don’t know what went into the changing.

“The question is whether a government is willing to accept an intelligence report or not. There was an intelligence report...It (the report on Jahan) was based on fairly sound evidence at the time,” Hindustan Times quoted Narayanan as saying.