News
Sunday, May 29, 2011
ATC reserves formation of judicial commission requested by FIA
Staff Report
RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday reserved its decision on the request of the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) for formation of a judicial commission after India’s contention that it would allow a Pakistani judicial commission to interview key witnesses and officials in the Mumbai attacks case.
A special public prosecutor of the FIA told ATC Judge Rana Nisar Ahmed that the Indian government has agreed to cooperate with the Pakistani judicial commission and allowed it to question witnesses and officials, including the magistrate that recorded the statement of Ajmal Kasab, doctors and other eye witnesses in the case.
Upon hearing this, the judge asked the FIA prosecutors to substantiate their contention with a written correspondence with the Indian authorities, and adjourned the case until June 11.
The prosecutors said the judicial commission intends to interview doctors who conducted the autopsies of the Mumbai attack victims, police officials who investigated the incident and the magistrate who recorded the statement of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist involved in the November 2008 assault on India’s financial hub.
The statements of these people will be recorded by the judicial commission and presented to the ATC. The proceedings of the case were held behind closed doors at the Adiala Jail due to security reasons. On the other hand, defence lawyers opposed the move to send a commission to India and compared it to New Delhi’s proposal to send its commission to Islamabad to interview suspects linked to the Mumbai attacks.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk