Mumbai: The prosecution in the Mumbai attacks case on Sunday filed a fresh petition in a Pakistani anti- terrorism court to amend charges against the seven accused of banned LeT by including the postmortem reports of the 166 victims of the 2008 terror attack.
“The prosecution has filed an application in the Anti- Terrorism Court Islamabad with regard to amendment in the charges against the seven accused of banned LeT. Since the (seven) suspects are already facing abetment to murder, the inclusion of postmortem reports of 166 victims of the Mumbai attacks is necessary in the charges,” a court official said.
The official said Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are accused of abetment to murder, attempted murder, and planning and executing the terror attacks on India’s financial capital on November 26, 2008.
The official said the court has issued a notice to the defence lawyers for arguments in the next hearing. The court office will fix the next date of hearing as coming Wednesday (March 23) is a public holiday in connection with Pakistan Day. The Mumbai case hearing is usually held every Wednesday.
In the last hearing on March 16, the prosecution told the trial court that Pakistan was waiting for a reply from the Indian government about sending (Indian) witnesses to Pakistan for recording of their statements.
The foreign ministry of Pakistan has written to the Indian government asking it to send all 24 Indian witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the trial court. Earlier, Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar said that the trial court had 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,” he had said.
Last month, the trial court had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to present all 24 Indian witnesses (in the court) to record their statements.
It had also ordered to bring the boat(s) used by Ajmal Kasab as it is a case property and should be duly examined. Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, is living at a undisclosed location after getting released from jail on bail in April last year.
The other six suspects are in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.
