Mumbai terror attack trial in Pak adjourned till April 10

Islamabad, Apr 3: The trial of seven Pakistani suspects, including terror group LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks was today adjourned till Apr 10 as the anti-terrorism judge hearing the case was unwell. Judge Shahid Rafique, who is hearing the case, was on leave due to illness, sources told PTI.

Meanwhile, Khwaja Haris Ahmed, the counsel for Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Lakhvi, said the trial was unlikely to move forward till the court receives a report on a Pakistani judicial commission's interviews with Indian officials and witnesses.

The eight-member judicial commission, which included prosecutors and defence lawyers, returned from a visit to India last month.

The panel travelled to Mumbai, where it recorded the statements of the magistrate who recorded the confession of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving attacker, the police officer who led the investigation into the attacks and two doctors who conducted the autopsies of the terrorists and victims.

The seven suspects have been charged with planning, financing and executing the terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people in Nov 2008.

The trial of the Pakistani suspects has stalled due to various technical issues for the past year. Pakistani prosecutors have said the commission's findings are expected to take forward the trial.

PTI