But Ishaq Ali Khan, father of Amir Reza Khan who has been accused in several cases of terror attacks in India, including the attack on American Center in 2002, has not lost hope.

“I am sure he will call on Bakr-Eid,” 62-year old Ishaq, who runs a business in building materials, told The Indian Express, sitting in his Beniapukur home in central Kolkata.

Apart from his alleged involvement in the American Center attack, Amir has also been accused of being involved in the abduction of Kolkata shoe merchant Partha Roy Burman in 2001. He was one of the seven who had been served with a death sentence in the American Center attack case. And it’s he and Hasan Imam who still elude the police.

Only last week Mohammed Sadiq alias Sadaqat, who shot dead six cops in the American Center attack, was caught by the Mumbai police.

Amir, according to the police, is the head of the Indian Mujahideen, suspected to be behind the recent serial blasts across the country.

Ishaq says he gets scared whenever a blast takes place.

“Every time a blast takes place his name crops up. When the Assam blasts took place, I got scared thinking that his name would come up. He is touted as the head of Indian Mujahideen but let me tell you, he never cared even for his mohallah. He was quite an introvert. How can a person like him head an all-Indian organisation?” he asked.

Ishaq Ali Khan stays with his wife Hasina Khanam. He had five sons —- Asif Reza Khan who was also involved in the abduction of Partha Roy Burman and was later shot dead by Gujarat Police when he allegedly tried to flee from them in 2001; Ali Reza Khan, a real estate developer; Amir Reza who, police suspect, is in Pakistan now; Imran Reza Khan, a businessman and Ehtasam Reza Khan, a student.

At present, only the elderly couple stay at their Beniapukur house. Their sons have settled down in different parts of the city and all his five daughters have been married off. When Amir called last year, Ishaq had asked why he committed such a crime (the attack on the American Center).

“But my son said he was staying in Dubai and denied his involvement in any crime. He said he was engaged in business there,” the elderly man said. He also said that he had no complaints against the police. “They never created trouble for me. They never disturbed me,” Ishaq said.

He said he had told Amir’s wife that she had the liberty to get married again. “Amir cannot come back. His wife and daughter have gone back to her parental home in Lucknow.