NEW DELHI: India summoned a top Pakistani diplomat on Friday, two days after announcing resumption of foreign-secretary-level talks, to voice unhappiness over repeated delays in the trial of seven men accused in the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks.
"We asked them to ensure a mechanism whereby Indian diplomats in their country get regular briefings about the Mumbai terror trial and related investigations," a foreign ministry official told AFP.
The trial, which began in 2012 and is being conducted by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court, was adjourned for the seventh time on Wednesday, according to the Press Trust of India.
India blames the three-day rampage in November 2008 on the outlawed Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The attacks killed 166 people and strained further relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
"Pakistan's deputy high commissioner in New Delhi was summoned to the foreign ministry," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
The Indian deputy high commissioner in Islamabad lodged a similar protest at the Pakistan foreign office, the official also said.
The last hearing in the terror case as well as the one slated for late June could not be held because the judge was on leave, the Press Trust of India reported. Trial proceedings have also been delayed by absence of prosecution lawyers amid security worries.
The seven Pakistani suspects have been charged with planning and financing the attacks on India's financial capital.
The summoning of the Pakistani diplomat came days after the Indian foreign ministry said the foreign secretaries of both countries would meet in Islamabad on August 25.
In a surprise move in May, India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited for his swearing-in ceremony his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and leaders of other SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations.
Modi's gesture spurred hopes about a resumption of peace talks between the neighbouring states whose relations have remained chilly since the terror attacks.
In 2012, India executed the sole surviving gunman, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, one of the 10 alleged attackers.
Kasab, who was 25 at the time of his execution, first pleaded not guilty at his trial but later allegedly confessed he was one of the gunmen sent by the LeT.
Indian Deputy High Commissioner visits FO
The Indian Deputy High Commissioner visited the Foreign Office to meet with the director general to inquire about the progress being made in the Mumbai trial, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release.
The director general stated that the trial was taking its legal course and efforts were being made for its early conclusion.
Furthermore, the director general inquired about the Samjhuta Express investigations. She urged that it was necessary that the outcome of these investigations be shared with Pakistan at the earliest.
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@Mc: so was the OBL job. He was not there and whole thing is a concoction........Americans came in the dead of night on sightseeing and tourist explorations visit.
@Hammad Mian: The usual ostrich approach. Bury your head, accuse others and lo behold no problem.
@jahangir chauhan If india doesn't have concrete evidence why is he and organisation sanctioned,bounty on head million dollars by USA. Why is he and organisation banned by Uk,UN,Europe,australia Russia, India after Mumbai event? What did kasab in india,taped phones records chats, signals trace location, apart from his own confession reveal? What did David Coleman confess in american courts? Why did your own country put him under house arrest and arrest people? Didn't one of your own media channel show kasabs home and family friends talk about him? Answer these first.. Feeding conspiracy theories its insider job won't work. Need facts.
We have been delaying the trials of this terrorist incident, and India has been delaying the trials of the Samjhauta Express terrorist attack.
@Salman Shareef: I'm a Pakistani and I love my country OK? But the fact is some of our Government agencies (like the ISI) were responsible for this attack. There is tons of evidence.
@Bewildered: Live in denial. Samjhota express case is closed and all culprits are cooling their heels in jail.
@Hammad Mian: "India for your kind information 26/11 was your inside job "
Very kind indeed! :-)
Can not Pakistan also summon the Indian Deputy High Commissioner for explaining the delay in prosecution of the Samjotha Express bombing culprits in which dozens of Pakistani citizens were killed as a result of the plan masterminded by a serving Indian army Major? It happened years before the Bombay shootings, and this trial still haven't produced any verdict even by the lower court yet. By the way, the court trial of Bombay shootings would produce nothing as the sole key witness, the only survival of the shootings Ajmal Kasab, was hanged by India as well as refused to give any access to him to the visiting Pakistani judicial commission for recording his statement and cross questioning by the accused's lawyers. So, the burden lies on India for halting the court proceedings. In the absence of the statement and cross questioning of the key witness, the only legal outcome of the trial would be clean acquittal of the accused. Perhaps this is what India actually wants so that she could keep accusing in her propaganda against Pakistan for not punishing the accused.
It's a shame that Pakistani politicians are covering up terrorists who have carried out a carnage against unarmed, innocent and totally vulnerable civilians, including many women and children (there were toddlers!). If Pakistan wants good fraternal relations, it should ACT and not engage in its usual deny and deceive tactics, of which the world - not just India - has become tired. The usual lies won't work any longer. There is a lot of resentment and, indeed, hatred against Pakistanis, particularly, in Mumbai. Pakistan has become something of a cussword, and is today synonymous with terrorism and extremism. Decent and law-abiding Pakistanis should rise and protest against this cancer which is also destroying Pakistani polity and society. The country has become a pariah; no foreign businessman wants to visit Pakistan because there is a stigma of terrorism attached to it. Your businesses are suffering. Your country is 'no-no' zone for foreign cricketers, sportsmen, tourists, etc.
@Moiz Omar: Indian lover ask your country to provide solid evidences. Trials do not proceed ahead based on the lame evidences.
India for your kind information 26/11 was your inside job exposed by your own intelligence officer Satish Verma. Kindly do not cover up your weeknesses by dragging Pakistan in this matter.
It's a shame we are the delaying the trials.