Grilling Mumbai attacks witnesses: FIA awaits green signal from Indian authorities
ATC directs prosecutor to speed up the process to make headway in the case.
The November 2008 attacks, which India has blamed on Lashkar-e-Taiba, left 166 people dead and more than 300 wounded. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
RAWALPINDI:
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday informed the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Mumbai that it was awaiting a response from Indian authorities on allowing defence lawyers to cross-examine Indian witnesses in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case.
The agency’s special public prosecutor, Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, told ATC-I Rawalpindi Special Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman that following the court order, the government of Pakistan had asked India to allow the cross-examination of four witnesses and rescind the earlier notification which disallowed Pakistani lawyers from questioning them.
Adjourning the hearing till March 2, 2013, the court directed the prosecutor to speed up the process to make headway in the case.
Earlier, lawyers representing the seven accused had raised objections over the request of the prosecution to form a new judicial commission to revisit Mumbai for cross-examining the witnesses. Led by Advocate Khawaja Haris Ahmed, the defence lawyers said New Delhi should first cancel earlier orders disallowing the interrogation of Investigation Officer Mumbai.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday informed the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Mumbai that it was awaiting a response from Indian authorities on allowing defence lawyers to cross-examine Indian witnesses in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case.
The agency’s special public prosecutor, Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, told ATC-I Rawalpindi Special Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman that following the court order, the government of Pakistan had asked India to allow the cross-examination of four witnesses and rescind the earlier notification which disallowed Pakistani lawyers from questioning them.
Adjourning the hearing till March 2, 2013, the court directed the prosecutor to speed up the process to make headway in the case.
Earlier, lawyers representing the seven accused had raised objections over the request of the prosecution to form a new judicial commission to revisit Mumbai for cross-examining the witnesses. Led by Advocate Khawaja Haris Ahmed, the defence lawyers said New Delhi should first cancel earlier orders disallowing the interrogation of Investigation Officer Mumbai.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.