Pakistan to defend ISI officials in Mumbai attacks lawsuit filed in US court

Islamabad, Dec 31 (ANI): Pakistan has decided to contest the US lawsuit implicating its top intelligence officials, including Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

"The government of Pakistan has taken a firm decision to strongly contest the suit filed against the ISI, its present and past directors general," the Dawn quoted Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, as saying.

"The government of Pakistan and its embassy in Washington shall defend the legal suit on behalf of ISI and its directors general fully and properly," it added.

A few days back, a US court had issued summons to the ISI chief and some top members of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for appearing before the court next month in connection with the Mumbai terror siege.

DG ISI Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, his predecessor Lt Gen (r) Nadeem Taj, Major Ali and Major Iqbal are among the Pakistani officials who have been summoned, while LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and his operational commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi are also in the summons list.

The orders are part of a case filed by an injured US citizen and the heirs of four others who were killed in the terror strike on Nov 26, 2008.

However, last week, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the ISI chief would not be forced to appear in a US court in connection with the attacks, which India and the United States blamed on Pakistani militants. (ANI)