The Pakistani anti-terrorism court hearing the 2008 Mumbai attack case will hold the trial of the seven accused, including mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, twice a week to expedite the case.
The decision was taken after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) gave a two-month deadline to the trial court.
The Islamabad High Court in mid-April had ordered the trial court to conclude the Mumbai attack case in two months. The two-month deadline ended on June 15 but the pace of the case did not improve.
The IHC had also warned that it would cancel Lakhvi’s bail if the trial court failed to conclude the case within the deadline. A court official said: “The case could not be concluded within the deadline and now it is up to the IHC to take up the government’s plea for cancellation of bail to Lakhvi.”
Meanwhile, the trial court on Thursday summoned four witnesses for the next hearing on June 24.
Two witnesses who were to record their statements in the Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad today (on Thursday) could not turn up. So, the judge adjourned the hearing till next Wednesday and summoned (the) four witnesses.
– Court Official
The hearing was held at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. Lakhvi walked out of the high-security jail on April 10 after the Lahore High Court suspended his detention under a security act.
He and six others have been charged with planning and executing the 26/11 Mumbai attack in November, 2008 that left 166 people dead.
(With inputs from PTI)
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