ISLAMABAD: Pakistani investigators and lawyers are travelling to India this week to gather evidence for the prosecution of seven suspects linked to the Mumbai attacks of 2008, when 166 people were killed.
The visit is the first of its kind, and comes after Pakistan indicted seven alleged conspirators in 2009 but has since said it needs to gather more evidence in India before proceeding further.
New Delhi says Pakistan's attempts at prosecution have been a "facade" and insists it has already handed over enough evidence to convict the accused.
The eight-strong commission of prosecutors, defence lawyers and a court official will travel to India Wednesday to take statements from witnesses and cross-examine them, senior public prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali told AFP.
Pakistan had wanted Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, who is the sole surviving gunman from the attacks and has been sentenced to death in India, to testify, but he has not been included among the interviewees requested by the panel.
"The commission will record the statements of investigators, statements of the doctors who conducted autopsies and the statement of lady magistrate who recorded Ajmal Kasab's confessional statement in Mumbai," Ali said.
India blames Pakistani militants from the Lashkar-e-Taiba group for training, equipping and financing the attack with support from "elements" in the Pakistani military.
COMMENTS (6)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Too little too late.Waste of tax payers money.Good opportunity for sight seeing and photo session.
"If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing." - Napoleon Bonaparte
How can Pakistani law enforcing agencies get the masterminds convicted when their head, Hafiz Sayeed, is roaming free. Not only roaming free, but also spewing hate at large public gatherings. Other than the Pakistani public themselves, nobody else is fooled by this 'looking two ways' policy of Pakistan. Coming to Ajmal Kasab, this guy was just a pawn in the hands of the masterminds. Since the masterminds are roaming free in Pakistan, the law enforcing agencies trip to India seems to be another 'facade'. The voices on the voip, recorded live during the assault, were clearly identified for three days by Indian agencies and also FBI. However, Pakistani Agencies have so far NOT supplied voice samples for cross matching purposes of the suspected individuals. Does anyone need to look any further to understand why the accused cannot be convicted in Pakistan?
@Pakistan politics:
Because Pakistan has not formally accepted that Kasab is a Pakistani Citizen and offered any help for him. Because after initial offer to send ISI Chief to India to investigate, Pak had second thoughts. And because Pak High Commissioner in Delhi made no efforts to help arrange Kasab's defense;his defense had to be organised by Indian Court. Why would the lawyers NOW want to meet a prisoner who is not a Pakistani? A request to meet up a stray Pakistani citizen-fisherman languishing in Indian jail is more likely to be complied with than a demand for meeting a 'non-Pakistani' like Kasab.
Mere Photo- Op, who trusts Pakistan?
why Pak is not being allowed to cross examine Kasab? whats the motive behind that? Are they afraid of getting truth revealed???