As reported by ANI, a criminal court in Thailand has declared that Sayyed Muzakkir Muddassar Hussain, also known by aliases Mohammad Saleem and Munna Jhingra, a senior D-Company operative and a close associate of India’s most wanted underworld criminals, Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel, is not a Pakistani (as claimed by the Pakistan embassy in Thailand) but an Indian national.
Jhingra, son of Muddassar Hussain, who had deep links in the 1993 Mumbai blast, entered Thailand with a fake Pakistani passport and was imprisoned ever since September 2000, for plotting to kill Chota Rajan, who is considered to be the rival of Dawood Ibrahim.
The ISI has since then been pushing for a reduction in Jhingra’s term of imprisonment, through sustained efforts by the Pakistan Embassy, not just through the Thai Foreign Ministry but also through informal channels. As a result of which the Pakistan Embassy succeeded in obtaining two Royal pardons for Munna Jhingra and his jail sentence was reduced to 34 years. Subsequently, the Pakistani Embassy gained two more Royal pardons, thereby, reducing Munna Jhingra’s sentence to 18 years in 2016.
Alongside, the Pakistan authorities were also making continuous efforts for the extradition of Munna Jhingra to Pakistan under the Prisoner’s Exchange Treaty between Pakistan and Thailand, a move that India contested and filed a strong extradition claim. The matter subsequently, went to the Thai court.
Though Munna Jhingra was granted amnesty under the Thai law and was released in December 2016, Pakistan was unable to extradite him since the matter was sub-judice.
However, coming as a major diplomatic victory for India over Pakistan, the court ruled on Wednesday, that based on fingerprint evidence submitted by India, it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that Munna Jhingra is an Indian national. The court also reprimanded Pakistan for submitting concocted evidence through Pakistani embassy in Thailand.
With the proceedings witnessing a high voltage drama with Jhingra reacting violently and abusing the judge after the announcement of the verdict and Pakistani embassy official caterwauling, the court finally gave Islamabad 30 days to file an appeal, failing which India would have to repatriate the prisoner within 90 days.
