A top Pakistani court has allowed the examination of a boat used by the 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists to reach India for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack, overturning an anti-terrorism court verdict which it termed “flawed.”
“The Islamabad High Court has set aside the verdict of trial court [Anti-Terrorism Court] in Mumbai case for not allowing sending of a commission to Karachi for inspection of Al-Fauz boat used by Mumbai attack terrorists,” Chaudhry Azhar, prosecution chief in the Mumbai attack case, said. He said the High Court termed the trial court decision “flawed and not in accordance with law” and allowed examination of the boat in the port city of Karachi.
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The prosecution in May had challenged the trial court’s decision to reject its plea to form a commission to examine the boat ‘Al-Fauz’ used by Mumbai attack terrorists so that the vessel could be made “case property.”
Al-Fauz is in the custody of Pakistani authorities in Karachi, from where the 10 militants, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and hand grenades, had left for India to carry out the Mumbai attack that claimed 166 lives.
The High Court, however, has not specified in its order whether it is necessary to form a commission comprising prosecution and defence lawyers for the inspection of the boat. “The trial court is likely to send court officials for the inspection of Al-Fauz since it has received no direction of forming a commission for the purpose,” another court official said. “The trial court will nominate the official[s] for the inspection of the boat in the September 7 hearing,” he said.
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The trial court on Wednesday held a hearing in the Mumbai attack case in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.
‘No reply yet from India on witnesses’
It was informed that Pakistan had not received a reply from India about sending its 24 witnesses here to record their statements in the case. The court adjourned the proceedings in the case till September 7.