Islamabad: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court today adjourned the hearing of the 2008 Mumbai attacks trial till February 11 as the government again failed to produce the record of the case involving seven suspects, including LeT mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
“We couldn't produce the record of the case in the trial court as it is still lying with the Islamabad High Court in connection with the Lakhvi's bail case,” Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar said after the hearing. Azhar who is also a special prosecutor of Federal Investigation Agency, further said, “We hope the HC disposes of the Lakhvi's bail case so that we are in position to submit the record of the case in the trial court on next hearing on February 11”.
In the earlier hearing last Wednesday ATC-II judge Sohail Akbar had adjourned the hearing without any proceedings because of the same reason.
The government on January 14 had transferred the 26/11 case from ATC I to ATC II Islamabad without giving any reason. The government had challenged Lakhvi's bail in Islamabad High Court over a month ago.
Pakistan faced an angry reaction from India following the bail to Lakhvi on December 18, 2014. The government subsequently transferred the case from the court of judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi.
Zaidi was the eighth judge conducting the trial of seven Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the attacks. He had been conducting the trial for the last three months. Lakhvi has been detained in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi under Maintenance of Public Order till February 18.
Lakhvi and six others - Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum - have been charged with planning and executing the attacks in India's financial hub in November, 2008 that left 166 people dead.
