ATC can depose officers who took Kasab’s statement

India has agreed to allow officers investigating the Mumbai terror attacks depose before a Pakistani court through video conferencing, reported The Hindustan Times on Thursday.

According to the paper, the Union Law Ministry has allowed Indian officials to be questioned by a Pakistani court.

Pakistan’s anti-terror court had repeatedly asked to be allowed to question Indian officers who had recorded Ajmal Amir Kasab’s statement.

The newspaper stated that the Indian government will approach the Bombay High Court to seek its consent on whether the judicial officer who recorded Kasab’s statement can also testify in a Pakistani court.

Pakistan had asked to record the statements of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate RV Sawant Waghule and investigating officer Ramesh Mahale.

Statements given by these officers will help decide charges against LeT operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the report said.

India had earlier provided Pakistan with copies of Kasab’s statement, which had been recorded in Hindi and Marathi in the presence of Waghule.

Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said that India is willing to discuss everything with Pakistan in a “step-by-step” approach to resolve differences, the Press Trust of India reported.

“We have nothing to be afraid of... Let the nation understand India is willing to discuss everything,” he said in the Indian parliament during a question session.

He said that India favoured a graduated and step-by-step approach in resolving differences with Pakistan, but cross-border hostilities will have to cease.

Referring to Home Secretary GK Pillai’s statement around the time of Krishna’s recent visit to Islamabad to meet with Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the External Affairs Minister said it was a “reflection” of what LeT operative David Headley had revealed to the FBI.

Ahead of the foreign ministers’ talks in Islamabad, Pillai had accused the Inter-Services-Intelligence of having a hand in the Mumbai attacks in 2008.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2010.