Bhushan
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Pakistan seeks India's help for Mumbai attacks trial
SLAMABAD: Islamabad on Saturday urged India to help find a way to progress the trial in Pakistan of seven suspects linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The suspects include the alleged mastermind of the attack on India's financial capital, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zarar Shah.
The trial has almost stalled as New Delhi has refused to give the court access to lone surviving attacker Mohammad Ajmal Kasab who is on death row in India and Indian national Fahim Ansari, a conspirator.
An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi indicted the seven men on the eve of the first anniversary of the attack, which ended a fragile peace process with Pakistan.
But Pakistani officials have since implied that the trials cannot proceed unless Kasab, who was sentenced to death in Mumbai in May, is handed over as a witness.
Kasab was convicted on March 31 on charges including murder and waging war on India.
Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik told reporters after meeting the Indian high commissioner and speaking to Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on the telephone: The trial is stuck and actually we do not want to give an impression to the international community that perhaps it has been delayed.
We proposed to India while talking to Mr Chidambaram that how about that we move our case to our trial court and request them to appoint a commission of relevant officials to record the statements of the witnesses, he said.
And this has been happening in the past and so using that facility we request to the court and if they give permission, will they (India) be able to accept, Malik said. Chidambaram replied that they will be considering it, Malik said.
Malik said he underlined the importance to the trial of Kasab and Ansari appearing in court in Pakistan.
SLAMABAD: Islamabad on Saturday urged India to help find a way to progress the trial in Pakistan of seven suspects linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The suspects include the alleged mastermind of the attack on India's financial capital, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zarar Shah.
The trial has almost stalled as New Delhi has refused to give the court access to lone surviving attacker Mohammad Ajmal Kasab who is on death row in India and Indian national Fahim Ansari, a conspirator.
An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi indicted the seven men on the eve of the first anniversary of the attack, which ended a fragile peace process with Pakistan.
But Pakistani officials have since implied that the trials cannot proceed unless Kasab, who was sentenced to death in Mumbai in May, is handed over as a witness.
Kasab was convicted on March 31 on charges including murder and waging war on India.
Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik told reporters after meeting the Indian high commissioner and speaking to Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram on the telephone: The trial is stuck and actually we do not want to give an impression to the international community that perhaps it has been delayed.
We proposed to India while talking to Mr Chidambaram that how about that we move our case to our trial court and request them to appoint a commission of relevant officials to record the statements of the witnesses, he said.
And this has been happening in the past and so using that facility we request to the court and if they give permission, will they (India) be able to accept, Malik said. Chidambaram replied that they will be considering it, Malik said.
Malik said he underlined the importance to the trial of Kasab and Ansari appearing in court in Pakistan.
