Pak wants India to send witnesses for 26/11 trial

2008 MUMBAI ATTACKS

LAHORE: Pakistan has asked New Delhi to send all the 24 Indian witnesses to depose before the anti-terrorism court hearing the 26/11 Mumbai attack case, the chief prosecutor in the highprofile case said 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 said.

The Islamabad anti-terrorism court had completed recording the statements of all Pakistani witnesses in the case that is going on 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 Pakistani authorities have arrested seven Lashkar members for their involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attack that left more than 166 people dead Lashkar-e-taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi secured bail in December 2014, while six others are in jail

to record their statements so that the trial could further move ahead,” said Azhar, who is also a special prosecutor of the federal investigation agency (FIA).

In February, the court, which is trying seven accused including Mumbai attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, ordered FIA to present all 24 Indian witnesses to record their statements.

It also wanted back the boats used by Ajmal Kasab and other militants on the grounds that it was case property and should be duly examined. An eight-member judicial commission had visited India on behalf of the Pakistan anti-terrorism court. The state ments of the Indian witnesses were to be used as evidence.