Faridkot, Okara
Encyclopedia
Faridkot is a village in Depalpur Tehsil
in the Okara District
of the Punjab
province of Pakistan
. It is located at 30°41′26"N 73°41′40"E with an altitude of 167 metres and lies about 5 km north-east from the centre of the town of Depalpur, and about 25 km south-east of the district capital Okara
.
and numerous other media outlets reported that Mohammad Ajmal Amir, son of Mohammad Amir Iman, an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba
terrorist captured alive during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, is from this village, rather than from Faridkot near Khanewal and Multan
. The following day, The Observer
and the BBC
Urdu
service supported the claim. The Observer stated that it had found Ajmal Amir's parents in the electoral record for "Faridkot, near Depalpur" containing 478 registered voters, and described comments from villagers about Ajmal Amir and about the village being "an active recruiting ground" for Lashkar-e-Taiba
. The BBC also reported confirmation from local villagers and the presence of numerous intelligence officials at Ajmal Amir's family's house.
On 12th December, 2008 The Hindu
reported that his father in Faridkot confirmed Ajmal Kasab was his son. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200812121323.htm
On 13th November, 2009, Reporters Without Borders
reported that two Pakistani journalists are being held in jail in Okara district since November 10th. These two reporters said they were being prevented from finding out the truth about Kasab's background, and from helping other journalists reach Faridkot.
On 19th November, 2009 Agence France-Presse
reported that the people of Faridkot deny any knowledge of Ajmal Kasab
ever living in their village.http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/091119/world/india_attacks1year_pakistan_society
On 24th November, 2009, The Hindu
reported that a journalist from Islamabad who tried to interview people in Faridkot was threatened by plainclothes men and asked to leave.
Depalpur Tehsil
Depalpur Tehsil is an administrative subdivision of Okara District in the Punjab province of Pakistan, headquartered at the town of Depalpur...
in the Okara District
Okara District
Okara District is a district of Punjab, Pakistan. The Multan Road connects the district capital, Okara with tLahore 110 km away. Okara began as a small town about 40 km from the city of Sahiwal. It later become a city in its own right. According to the 1998 census, the district had a...
of the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
province of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is located at 30°41′26"N 73°41′40"E with an altitude of 167 metres and lies about 5 km north-east from the centre of the town of Depalpur, and about 25 km south-east of the district capital Okara
Okara, Pakistan
Okara is the capital city of Okara District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The name Okara is derived from Okaan, a name of a tree, the city is located south-west to the city of Lahore and is famous for its agriculture-based economy and cotton mills...
.
Mohammad Ajmal Amir
On 6 December 2008, The HinduThe Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
and numerous other media outlets reported that Mohammad Ajmal Amir, son of Mohammad Amir Iman, an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
terrorist captured alive during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, is from this village, rather than from Faridkot near Khanewal and Multan
Faridkot, Khanewal
Faridkot is a small village in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 30°16'30N 71°57'30E with an altitude of 129 metres and lies to the south-west of the district capital - Khanewal....
. The following day, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
service supported the claim. The Observer stated that it had found Ajmal Amir's parents in the electoral record for "Faridkot, near Depalpur" containing 478 registered voters, and described comments from villagers about Ajmal Amir and about the village being "an active recruiting ground" for Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
. The BBC also reported confirmation from local villagers and the presence of numerous intelligence officials at Ajmal Amir's family's house.
On 12th December, 2008 The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
reported that his father in Faridkot confirmed Ajmal Kasab was his son. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200812121323.htm
On 13th November, 2009, Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
reported that two Pakistani journalists are being held in jail in Okara district since November 10th. These two reporters said they were being prevented from finding out the truth about Kasab's background, and from helping other journalists reach Faridkot.
On 19th November, 2009 Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
reported that the people of Faridkot deny any knowledge of Ajmal Kasab
Ajmal Kasab
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab is a Pakistani Islamic terrorist who was involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks in India. Kasab is the only attacker captured alive by police and is currently in Indian custody. The Government of Pakistan initially denied that Kasab was from Pakistan, but in January 2009,...
ever living in their village.http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/091119/world/india_attacks1year_pakistan_society
On 24th November, 2009, The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
reported that a journalist from Islamabad who tried to interview people in Faridkot was threatened by plainclothes men and asked to leave.