Pak court adjourns 26/11 trial for a week
A Pakistani anti-terror court on Saturday adjourned for a week the trial of seven suspects arrested for involvement in the Mumbai attacks, including LeT's operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, after hearing arguments on applications filed by the accused.
Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan put off the case till November 14 following today's proceedings, Shahbaz Rajput, one of the defence lawyers, said.
"The court took up the applications filed by the accused and a decision is expected," Rajput said, without giving details.
The court has advised lawyers and others associated with the trial not to discuss details with the media and journalists are barred from covering the proceedings being held within the heavily-guarded Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for security reasons.
The accused had recently expressed reservations about the manner in which they were indicted during a hearing on October 10 by Judge Baqir Ali Rana, who was earlier conducting the trial.
The Lahore High Court took Rana off the case at his own request. The accused, who have declined to plead guilty or not guilty, had earlier filed an application seeking attested copies of the statement made by Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone terrorist captured alive by Indian authorities for the Mumbai attacks.
A Rawalpindi-based bench of the Lahore High Court last month directed the anti-terror court to take into account the views of the accused and to redress their grievances before proceeding with their indictment.
The seven suspects – Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum – have been booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
They have been accused of training and providing financial support, accommodation, equipment and communications gear to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai in November last year.
