Pak shields militants, rejects India's probe offer

Islamabad, Mar 13: In yet another clear sign of Pakistan's government machinery shielding the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai attack, the south-east Asian country has rejected India's request to quiz seven Pakistanis that also includes Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

DawnNews quoted a senior interior ministry official as saying, "There is no law under which we could allow the Indian investigators to grill the seven accused, who are already in judicial custody."

Lakhvi alongwith six other suspects of masterminding the Mumbai attacks- Mohammad Younis Anjum, Mazhar Iqbal, Abdul Wajid, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Hammad Amin Sadiq and Jamil Ahmed have been in judicial custody in Pakistan. 166 people were killed in the attacks that lasted from Nov 26, 2008 to Nov 29, 2008.

India had earlier in Mar 2011 written a letter requesting the Pakistani authorities to allow an Indian investigative team to quiz the suspects. The letter also sent out an invitation to an enquiry commission established by a Pakistani court to visit India and interrogate other accuseds in the case, including the lone surviving terrorist of the Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Kasab.

OneIndia News