(A/N: This letter is written from Ajmal Kasab's point of view (a Pakistani terrorist and member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who participated in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11. He was the only attacker captured alive. Thereafter, he was hanged in 2012.) to his mother . It is addressed to his mother wherein he explains the reason behind his decision to join the terrorist group and actively participate in the attacks. I wrote this in response to a letter that was written by journalist Barkha Dutt from Kasab's mother's point of view. I shall soon attach the link to that letter if possible. The date mentioned at the beginning is the day when he was hanged. According to my write-up, he wrote this in the morning.
Please note that this is purely a work of fiction and none of this is intended to offend any religious sentiments.)
21.11.2012
Dear Ammi,
Assalaam-o-Alaikum! It is rightly said that people transform with the passage of time. I absolutely stand by this statement. From being the cherubic child I was, back in the remote village of Faridkot to being known as a 'terrorist' in today's world, my journey has been nothing short of legendary. With advancing age, humans slowly whittle their personalities into a certain form according to their preferences and their circumstances... that is precisely what has happened to me. The world is turning heinous, the people are becoming odious and so must I...
Ammi, let us recollect my childhood days. We were leading a life replete with mediocrity. Abbu ran a snack cart and Bhai worked as a labourer in Lahore. Abbu worked round the clock to run his menial business whereas Bhai was beaten black and blue by his boss every single day. Every night, he returned with lacerations that moved both of us to tears. I, too, achieved no academic excellence in life owing to my inferior education. I was deeply agonized by our impecuniousness. You soothed my perpetually distressed mind and asked me to not ponder over that matter because it was of no concern to me. With each passing day, our financial crisis turned nightmarish until I decided to leave Faridkot forever. With my buddy Muzaffar, I began my quest to amass wealth and we landed up in Lashkar-e-Taiba, one of the largest, most active terrorist organisations in South Asia. With Hobson's choice staring me in the face, I began to train myself in the egregious act of terrorism because of my abysmal academic background.
I left no stone unturned during my training and was chosen to be part of a 'privileged' crew to execute my very first act in Mumbai - the financial capital of our rival country India. This seemed like the heavens were opening up and giving me an escape route from our years of being impoverished and not having much to eat. So Ammi, if you are willing to know the reason behind my scandalous choice, then this is it - to better the financial conditions of our family. Our deplorable circumstances have egged me on to make certain life choices, despicable as they may be. I have lived up to my expectations and have emerged triumphant in my endeavour to become as rich as Croesus. Being on the breadline all our lives made money my raison d'être and I have no contrition whatsoever for my acts. There is nothing I can do if the journalists show this pointless news on TV. I suggest you turn a deaf ear to this drivel and start leading a carefree life.
The target of our mission was not the innocent people of Mumbai, but the wealth that the nation possesses. The whole world is aware of the horrendous feuds between India and Pakistan and this series of attacks is to avenge Indians for the maltreatment meted out to the Pakistanis. Setting eyes on the deceased and mutilated bodies of the guiltless souls does not evoke any feeling of remorse in me because I am not liable for their demise. I believe that I am living up to my duty of infiltrating this nation's affluence. I will complete this honourable task that I have been allotted at any cost, even if it means that I'll be hanged today.
Today, I am under police custody and am accused of murder, conspiracy, waging war against India and possession of explosives. But all these allegations do not matter to me. Ammi, in your letter you stated that you feel shamefaced to answer the cops' numerous questions and to open the door to the breadman and the milkman. I understand that this is certainly a challenging predicament to be... an unprecedented one so to speak. I know you're doing the best you can to cope. Kindly don't pay any heed to what people say for my sake.
Convey my regards to Abbu, Bhai and Behen. Pray to Allah for the goodwill of the family so that nobody down the line has to indulge in these wrongdoings. My name is Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab and I am not a terrorist. Khuda hafez!
Yours innocently, Amir.
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