26/11 case: India to take a call on Pakistan commission soon

New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) India will soon take a decisionon allowing a Pakistani judicial commission to visit here tointerview key witnesses in connection with the trial of sevenPakistani suspects in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case.

Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of HomeAffairs Utthan Kumar Bansal said the government has received acommunication from Islamabad requesting it to allow thecommission from Pakistan to visit India.

"We are discussing the issue and an appropriate decisionwill be taken soon," Bansal told reporters when asked aboutPakistan''s request.

As part of the judicial process of 26/11 case in thatcountry, the commission wants to visit India to takestatements of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R VSawant Waghule, Investigating Officer Ramesh Mahale, whorecorded Mumbai attack convict Ajmal Kasab''s statement, andthe doctor who carried out the post-mortem of the terrorists.

Recently, Islamabad has conveyed to India that it shouldnot be held responsible if prime accused of Mumbai attackscase Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and sixof his accomplices, who have been charged with planning andfacilitating the 26/11 strikes, get relief from the courtbecause the judicial commission failed to visit India.

India is yet to take a decision on the request ofPakistan. But Pakistan has declined a request from India tosend a commission to that country to take statements of theprime accused saying it lacks judicial approval.

India is now planning to take approval from a court tosend the commission to Pakistan.