Profile: Who is Mohammed Ajmal Kasab?

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the face of the Mumbai terror attack is the only surviving
terrorist among the 10 who crossed the sea from Karachi to wreak havoc on country’s
financial capital. The Mumbai Police now have put together a complete picture of his
past.
Ajmal was born in Faridkot village in Dipalpur tehsil of Okara district in Pakistan’s
Punjab province in 1987. His family belongs to the Qasai (butcher) caste.
Ajmal dropped out of school because of poverty. He is the third of the five children in the
family. At the age of 13, Ajmal went to live with his elder brother in Lahore.
For several years, he shuttled between the homes of his brother and parents till he fought
with his parents in 2005. He then fought with his parents and left home with the
determination of never returning.

For a year he stayed at the shrine of the saint Syed Ali and in 2007 he began earning Rs
200 by working as a labourer. But, soon Ajmal started spending time with small-time
criminals in Lahore. He then decided to make quick bucks by way of armed robbery.

Once when Ajmal and his friend went to a local market in Rawalpindi to purchase
weapons, they saw activists of the LeT handing out pamphlets and posters about the
organisation and activities.
Ajmal then decided to join the Lashkar in the hope that the jihad training they would
receive would further their future life in crime.
As a foot soldier of the LeT, Ajmal was shown films on India's purported atrocities in
Kashmir, and fiery lectures of Lashkar chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.

He then started seeing jihad as a purpose of his life and means to gain respectability in his
society.
Ajmal was chosen for the Lashkar's basic combat course, the Daura-e-Aam.
He performed well and was among a small group of 32 men selected to undergo
advanced training at a camp near Manshera for the second level training called the Daura-
e-Khaas.
Finally, he was handpicked along with nine others for specialised marine commando and
navigation training given to the fidayeen unit selected to target Mumbai.
Ajmal has also told investigators that commander Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi promised that
his family would be financially rewarded for his sacrifice. While the other nine terrorists
were killed during the operation in Mumbai, Ajmal lived to tell the story.