Zeenews Bureau
Islamabad: Pakistan’s special anti-terror court on Saturday delayed the hearing of five Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives in the last year’s Mumbai terror attacks till July 29.
Judge Baqir Ali Rana of anti-terror court no 2, who is
conducting the trial in the high-security Adiala Jail in the
garrison city of Rawalpindi, put off the matter after hearing
arguments by the prosecution and defence, sources said.
Journalists are barred from covering the trial being
conducted inside the prison for security reasons and specific
details of today's proceedings were not immediately available.
However, sources said the counsel for the Federal
Investigation Agency, which probed the Mumbai attacks and
arrested the five Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives, argued
that the proceedings should be conducted in-camera in view of
the sensitivity of the matter.
The counsel for the five LeT operatives submitted
petitions seeking copies of the First Information Reports and
two chargesheets drawn up against the accused by the FIA, the
sources said.
The trial of the five LeT operatives is being held in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi due to security reasons.
Earlier, Pak had filed a second and supplementary chargesheet against five LeT operatives, including its operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, before the anti-terror court.
The investigators from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which probed the Mumbai attacks, submitted the chargesheet to the court, following which the judge adjourned till July 25 the trial, which is being held in-camera in the high-security Adiala Jail.
The five accused -- Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu al Qama, Shahid Jamil Riaz and Hamad Amin Sadiq -- were given copies of the second and supplementary chargesheet.
On May 5, the court had distributed copies of the first chargesheet among the suspects.
The trial had resumed on July 18 following the appointment of Justice Baqir Ali Rana as the new judge for anti-terror court number 2 in Rawalpindi. Special Public Prosecutor Malik Rab Nawaz Noon represented the federal government.
There had been no movement in the case since May 23 as Justice Sakhi Muhammad Kahut, who was earlier hearing the matter, was removed as part of judicial reforms.
First Published: Saturday, July 25, 2009, 13:55