Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The anti-terrorism court conducting the 2008 Mumbai attacks trial on Wednesday issued summons to the two Pakistan-based prosecution witnesses in the case to record their statements.

The witnesses, Federal Investigation Agency’s additional directors Wajid Zia and Zahid Akhtar, will appear before the court in the next week. The court also sought a response from the FIA and ministries of interior and foreign affairs on the availability of the 27 India-based witnesses by May 23.

The court observed that despite repeated notices, it had not been informed by the authorities concerned of the status of Indian witnesses since January 2016. The judge said that the case is in its final stages and it is imperative to know whether the 27 witnesses will be able to have their statements recorded.

On Wednesday, the court recorded the statement of Dera Ghazi Khan DPO Sohail Habib Tajik. Ever since the hearing of the case started in 2009, the court has recorded statements of 85 prosecution witnesses in the case.

The primary suspect, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, is on a post-arrest bail and he did not appear in court on Wednesday. Lakhvi is a senior operative of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group. His exemption from hearing request for Wednesday was approved by the court.

The other accused in the case, Hammad Amin, Shahid Jameel, Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Wahid, Mohammad Younas, Sufyan Zaffar and Jamil Ahmad, are in jail.

The case has been on hold for months due to the failure of the Indian witnesses to appear before the court. Since January 2016, on the request of the prosecution, government functionaries sitting at the helm of affairs were directed to produce the Indian nationals, but no serious action was taken by the government.

In November 2017, an ATC issued a non-bailable warrant for witness Nazar Sharif after his continuous failure to appear before the court to record evidence in the Mumbai attacks case.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has also appeared before the ATC.

Published in Daily Times, May 17^th 2018.