Many actual 26/11 accused not brought before Pak courts: India

Islamabad, May 24: India today voiced concern at the tardy progress in the prosecution of the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, saying many persons who are the "actual accused" had not even been brought before the Pakistani courts.

"It seems that the progress in judicial proceedings against them (persons charged with involvement in the Mumbai incident) is very slow. Many persons who are the actual accused have not been brought before the courts," Home Secretary RK Singh said in a brief interaction with the media before going into the talks with his Pakistani counterpart.

The crucial two-day talks between the Home and Interior Secretaries of India and Pakistan here are expected to focus on a relaxed visa regime and the prosecution of perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Indian authorities had linked several serving and retired Pakistani military officials to the Mumbai attacks on the basis of evidence provided by Pakistani-American LeT operative David Headley. However, Pakistan has dismissed these charges. Islamabad has also not responded positively to New Delhi's request for voice samples of suspects who are already in the Pakistani custody.

The Indian delegation led by Singh and the Pakistani team headed by Interior Secretary Khwaja Siddique Akbar gathered at a hotel in the heart of Islamabad for the talks. The last round of talks between the two secretaries was held in New Delhi in March last year.

The inclusion of National Investigation Agency chief SC Sinha and other officials involved in the investigation of the Mumbai attacks in the Indian delegation was a clear indication of New Delhi's intention to push for the prosecution of the perpetrators of the terror strikes.

PTI