Throw ‘Dawat’ for Friends: Pathankot Bomber to Mother Before Dying

The chargesheet alleged that Hussain asked his mother to record his conversation on her mobile set.

Security personnel near the Pathankot Air Force base where an operation was carried out after a militant attack. (Photo: PTI)

One of the terrorists who attacked an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, Punjab on 2 January spoke to his mother in Pakistan over a cellphone to express his last wish. He called for a feast for his friends after his death, according to intercepts by the NIA.

Also Read: NIA Files Chargesheet in Pathankot Attack Case Against JeM Chief

Nasir Hussain of Vehari in Pakistan made multiple calls to his handlers and relatives from the two cellphones that 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 the 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 Indian territory at 2 am on 30 December 2015 – three days before they stormed 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 chargesheet 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 at about 9.20 am on 1 January 2016, to a Pakistani telephone number. 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.

NIA

The agency said that Hussain tried to call on the same number around 8.40 am in the morning but did not receive a response.

(This article has been published in an arrangement with IANS.)