Confessions of Dangerous Minds

'Headley wanted assignment in Kashmir', screams one terrifying headline. As the world listens in rapt attention to David Coleman Headley, self-confessed terrorist and co-accused in the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, one thing is ringing loud and clear - the ISI is not the innocent, not-in-the-know organisation it loudly claims to be.
Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin, is being tried in the US courts for offering support to LeT, the terrorist outfit behind the 26/11 attacks. Rana has maintained he's innocent till now, but Headley's singing like the proverbial canary, bringing Rana's plea of not guilty to dust. The Headley hearing is something that's been long anticipated to bring some amount of closure to the still-open wounds of the 26/11 attacks that India continues to battle with. But his damning disclosures about the ISI's involvement and the powers-that-be that control terrorist factions in Pakistan and their anti-Indian stance are no less chilling almost three years since the attack.
His unapologetic account of scouting for targets for terror attacks, among them the Somnath temple and Bollywood, the ready praise that Rana had for the 'brilliant operation' that was 26/11, and his no-holds-barred revelation that he received training by the ISI itself are hardly attracting raised eyebrows. Headley's confessions are only serving to trash all declarations of non-involvement on Pakistan's part and India's insistence that it's making headway in seeking justice for its wronged.
In his 4th day of testimony, Headley is now claiming he's no longer proud of 26/11. He also seems to be backtracking on Rana's culpability, saying he wasn't aware of half of what was happening. Rahul Bhatt, who's said to have befriended Headley, was supposedly warned by Headley to steer clear of South Mumbai during 26/11 - more deflections. Is this a calculated effort at softening the sentence Headley's likely to be awarded, one wonders.
Ajmal Kasab, one among those who wreaked havoc and mayhem on the city of Mumbai on that unforgettable night, has managed to gain diplomatic immunity over the 'lack of evidence' in the many dossiers that India's thus far sent to Pakistan to hand over the culprits who masterminded the attacks. Now the question that's on every Indian's mind, whether he pays taxes that are keeping Kasab warm and snug on the shores of India, or not, is - how many more dossiers will it take till we see some action being taken? India hasn't shown any indication of nerve or resolve in dealing with terrorists so far, so is more legal back-and-forth all that we can expect?
We did a Facebook poll on how much longer the ISI can continue to portray themselves as misunderstood, and an overwhelming 65% of you think ISI will keep at it relentlessly, and there's nothing India can do about it. Rather telling, isn't it?
It's indeed a sad day for the world's supposedly largest democracy that we require another nation to get to the bottom of what is essentially our business, more so when innocent blood has reddened our sands. And it's even sadder that the confessions of those who want to bloody our shores will most likely end up in diplomatic dossiers, never to be acted upon.