Trial of 26/11 suspects resumes in Pak

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Jul 18 (PTI) The trial of five LeT operatives
accused of involvement in the Mumbai attacks, including its
operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, resumed Saturday at a
Pakistani anti-terror court after a gap of nearly two months,
but it was not clear whether the suspects had been formally
indicted.

The trial resumed in the high-security Adiala Jail in
Rawalpindi after appointment of a new judge, Baqir Ali Rana,
for anti-terror court number 2 in the garrison city to hear
the matter. Justice Rana adjourned the case till July 25 after
Saturday's hearing.

It was not immediately clear if the accused – Lakhvi,
Zarar Shah, Abu al Qama, Shahid Jamil Riaz and Hamad Amin
Sadiq – had been formally indicted as the hearing was held
in-camera.

Shahbaz Rajput, the counsel for the accused, told PTI
that Saturday's proceedings were a "pre-trial hearing".

A new dossier on the Mumbai terror attacks handed over by
Pakistan to India last week states that the LeT was
responsible for the assault. It also states that Lakhvi was
the mastermind of the attacks.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said last week that the
trial of the five LeT operatives could now get underway as
Pakistani investigators had completed their probe.

There had been no movement in the case since May 23 as
judge Sakhi Muhammad Kahut, who was earlier hearing the case,
was removed as part of judicial reforms.

The Federal Investigation Agency then approached
Justice Muhammad Akram Awan, the judge in anti-terror court
number 1, to take up the case and he repeatedly adjourned the
matter.

On May 5, the court had distributed copies of the
chargesheet among the suspects. Interior Minister Malik said
investigators had prepared a second and updated chargesheet
that was to be handed over to the prosecutor general.

The trial of the five LeT operatives is being held
inside the Adiala Jail due to security reasons. PTI