26/11: Pak judicial commission to visit India from Feb 3

Islamabad, Jan 20: A Pakistani judicial commission will visit India during February 3-6 to interview officials who were involved in the investigation of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said today.

Malik announced the dates for the commission's visit during a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal at the Interior Ministry this afternoon, official sources said.

India had earlier suggested to Pakistan that the judicial commission should visit during the first half of February.

Malik announced the date for the visit after the completion of various technical formalities, including the selection of the officials who would be included in the panel, the sources said.

During their meeting, Malik and the Indian envoy discussed progress in the probe into the Mumbai attacks, including the trial of seven Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the incident, and other aspects of bilateral relations.

Pakistani officials have said that the judicial commission's visit to India is imperative to take forward the prosecution of the seven suspects, including Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, whose trial has virtually stalled for the past year.

Defence lawyers have raised questions about the admissibility of the confession of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving attacker, in a Pakistani court.

Kasab's confessional statement, recorded by an Indian magistrate, is a key piece of evidence for the Pakistani prosecutors.

PTI