New Delhi: India may allow a Pakistani
commission to travel here to interview key witnesses and other
officials in connection with the trial of seven Pakistani
suspects in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case.
Sources said Pakistan will be informed of India`s stand
on the issue once the government gets the view of Bombay High
Court on it, possibly next week.
India, as such, does not have any problem if a commission
from Pakistan comes to take statements of Additional Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate RV Sawant Waghule and Investigating
Officer Ramesh Mahale, who recorded 26/11 convict Ajmal
Kasab`s statement, and the doctors who carried out the
post-mortem of the victims and the terrorists.
But, the sources said, it is mandatory to take the view
of the High Court as the case related to 26/11 is now pending
before it.
"We want the 26/11 case in Pakistan to reach its logical
conclusion. We have no issues in allowing them to visit India
provided the High Court gives its nod," a source said.
Special Judge ML Tahaliyani had convicted lone captured
26/11 terrorist Kasab to death in May, subject to confirmation
of the sentence by the High Court.
On the eve of the second anniversary of the Mumbai terror
attacks, India asked Pakistan to punish those responsible.
India said "substantive and verifiable" progress has not
been made in the probe into Mumbai attacks case in Pakistan.
Asking Islamabad to fulfil its "obligation and
commitment" to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11
carnage, India regretted that no feedback has been received on
several issues raised by New Delhi.
This included voice samples of Pakistan-based "handlers"
of the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008
and information about seven persons involved in the attacks
whose names were given by Home Minister P Chidambaram during
his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart in June in
Islamabad.
The names of seven "handlers" involved in 26/11 included
that of two officers in the Pakistani Army, sources said.
However, Pakistan`s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said
last week that the trial of seven Pakistani suspects charged
with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks has been held up
because of New Delhi`s delay in granting permission for a
commission to visit India to interview key witnesses.
PTI
