Pak court requested to hold 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial by video link

Lahore: Prosecution lawyers on Wednesday filed an application in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court requesting it to conduct the trial of the seven accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case through video-link. [caption id=“attachment_1706271” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] LeT forces had attacked Mumbai on 26 November, 2008. AFP[/caption] The prosecution lawyers filed the application in the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi, urging it to hold the trial through video-link, sources told PTI. “Since it is difficult for the witnesses to appear before the court because of security concerns the court should hold the trial through a video-link,” the application said. Besides, it said the seven accused who are languishing at the Adaila Jail in Rawalpindi should also be made part of the proceedings. Judge Attiquer Rehman had stopped holding the trial at Adiala Jail following “poor security arrangements” a few months ago. The accused are not taken to the court’s proceedings from the jail because of security issues. Earlier, the prosecution lawyers had drawn the court’s attention to ensure their and the witnesses’ security in the face of threats they received allegedly from Jamaat-ud-Dawah activists. The court issued a notice to the defence lawyer for arguments on the application on 17 September. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Anjum have been charged with planning, financing and executing the attacks in India’s financial capital that killed 166 people in November, 2008. PTI