Mumbai attacks case in Pakistan has 'no leg to stand on' even after 5 years

The Mumbai attacks lawsuit in Pakistan still has “no leg to stand on” even after five years of the incident as India and Pakistan continues the blame game, accusing each other of ‘not doing enough’

According to the Express Tribune, the case has made little headway despite the arrest and denun.ciation of the alleged commander of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, along with six others in Pakistan in 2008.

The allegations of masterminding, financing and facilitating the November 26, 2008 attacks in India’s financial capital, which killed 166 people still lack the evidences, the report added.

A former member of the defence team, Advocate Riaz Akram Cheema, said that Lakhvi and the others were framed on the basis of the confessionary statement by Ajmal Kasab. Kasab was the only gunman arrested, tried and hanged in India for waging war, terrorism and murder. Cheema said that Kasab’s statement could never be cross-examined as New Delhi refused to allow the defence counsel to question him. Hence, it cannot be treated as evidence under Pakistani law. Cheema also questioned the acceptability of Kasab’s statement, which was recorded 82 days after his arrest.

The defence panel, meanwhile, blames the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for failing to provide a complete list of witnesses with recorded statements for cross-examination despite the court’s directions.

Meanwhile, FIA special prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar attributed the delays to the change of judges and the death of his colleague Chaudhry Zulfiqar.