Islamabad: Pakistan has
asked India to send all the 24 Indian witnesses to depose before the
anti-terrorism court holding the Mumbai attack trial, the chief prosecutor in
the high-profile case said on Sunday.
“The Foreign Ministry has written to the Indian government asking
it to send all 24 Indian witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the
trial court in the Mumbai attack case,” Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar told
PTI.
He said the Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad has already completed
recording the statements of all Pakistani witnesses in the case which has been
underway in the country for more than six years.
“Now the ball is in India’s court. The Indian government should
send all Indian witnesses of the Mumbai case to Pakistan to record their
statements so that the trial could further move ahead,” said Mr. Azhar, who is
also a special prosecutor of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Last month, the court, which is holding the trial of the seven
accused including Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT operations commander Zakiur
Rehman Lakhvi, had ordered the FIA to present all 24 Indian witnesses in court
to record their statements.
It had also ordered to bring back to Pakistan the boats used by
Ajmal Kasab and other militants on the grounds that it is case property and
should be duly examined.
The 8-member Pakistani judicial commission had visited India on
behalf of the Pakistani anti-terrorism court (ATC).
The statements of the Indian witnesses were supposed to be used
as evidence in the trial.
However, Lakhvi’s lawyer had challenged the commission’s
proceedings because Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S S Shinde did not let its
members cross-examine witnesses.
The trial court here subsequently declared the proceedings of the
commission illegal.
Pakistani authorities have arrested seven LeT members involved
with the planning of the 2008 Mumbai attack.
Apart from Lakhvi, other arrested LeT men are Abdul Wajid, Mazhar
Iqbal, Sadiq, Shahid Jamil, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum. A trial is underway
against them at the ATC since 2009.
Lakhvi (55), secured bail in December 2014 and was subsequently
released from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on April 10, 2015, after the Lahore
High Court set aside the government’s order to detain him under a public
security act.
Six other accused are lodged in the Adiala Jail for over six
years in connection with planning and executing the Mumbai attack in which 166
people were killed.
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