Pakistani court reserves orders on indictments in 26/11 case

RAWALPINDI - A court here will rule Wednesday on the indictments against seven operatives of the Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group who are charged with assisting the 26/11 Mumbai attackers.

Judge Muhammad Akram Awan of Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) reserved judgment after hearing the arguments of the prosecution and defence lawyers.

The order came a day after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed New Delhi’s concern over Pakistan’s continued inaction in bringing the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks to justice contrary to its assurances.

“No, they haven’t done enough,” he told CNN television in an interview telecast as he landed in Washington for a four-day state visit Sunday. Manmohan Singh said when he met Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, in July this year, he (Gilani) had assured that his government would do all that’s possible to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“That’s not happening,” Manmohan Singh maintained.

The defence counsel has told the court during the hearing that the seven accused could not be indicted as the allegations levelled against them had not been proved, Online news agency reports.

The public prosecutor took the plea that solid evidence was available against them, in the light of which the accused should be charge sheeted.

The intelligence agencies had arrested seven people, including LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhavi and communications expert Zarrar Shah for allegedly planning the Mumbai attacks, besides providing financial assistance and other facilities to the 10 gunmen who had staged the Nov 26-29, 2008 assault that claimed the lives of 166 people, including 26 foreigners.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive during the carnage has admitted his Pakistani nationality and that he was trained by the LeT.

India has so far submitted seven dossiers on the Pakistani antecedents of the 10 attackers. Islamabad says the evidence is not enough.