New Delhi:
At first glance, the diary appears innocuous-a thin lined book with entries in Urdu.
But this is the record kept by one of the ten Pakistani terrorists who sailed from Karachi to Mumbai in November 26/11 to show India a side of terror it had never dreamt possible. (
Read the full text of the diary)
The eight-page diary was Ismail's who was shot dead during that seemingly endless siege of Mumbai. It was studied by the Supreme Court today in the context of Ajmal Kasab's case. Kasab was the only terrorist caught alive by the Mumbai Police. He has appealed to the Supreme Court against the death sentence awarded to him by the Bombay High Court.
Ismail used the diary after the terrorists hijacked an Indian boat named the Kuber and killed its crew.
The first page of the diary shows the schedule the terrorists followed to guard the ship at all times. One person was assigned to cook meals on board.
The diary also has longitudes and latitudes that were used for navigation.
Places in Mumbai are listed - an ominous itinerary of the landscape that would later be attacked and the routes that the terrorists would follow as they broke into pairs to spread out over the city.
The diary also lists items that the terrorists had brought with them - about eight grenades, large knife, a satellite phone card, for example.
The next hearing in Kasab's case is scheduled for Tuesday.