Pakistani judicial commission to visit India on Sep 11

The panel will cross-examine key witnesses of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks

A Pakistani judicial commission will travel to India on September 11 to cross-examine key witnesses of the Mumbai terror attacks, prosecutors informed a court today.

 

Prosecutors from the Federal Investigation Agency filed a copy of the gazette notification regarding the eight-member commission's visit in the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad that is conducting the trial of seven suspects charged with involvement in the attack.

 

"The prosecution submitted the notification and said the team could not leave on September 7 due to the cancellation of the PIA flight to India," Riaz Akram Cheema, part of the team of lawyers defending the accused, told PTI.

 

Cheema quoted prosecutors as saying that the team would leave on September 11.

 

Following this, Judge Atiqur Rehman adjourned the case till September 18.

 

The commission will submit a report to the court at the next hearing.

 

The visit to India to cross-examine witnesses is being undertaken to take forward the prosecution of the seven suspects, including Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

 

The witnesses are the magistrate who recorded LeT member Ajmal Kasab's confessional statement, the chief investigating officer and two doctors who conducted the autopsy of the terrorists who carried out the Mumbai attacks in November 2008.

 

This will be the commission's second visit to India.

 

A report submitted by the panel after its first visit in March 2012 was rejected by an anti-terrorism court as the commission's members were not allowed to cross-examine witnesses.