Islamabad: The trial of LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks was on Saturday adjourned for a week as no new judge has been appointed to hear the case.
During the last hearing on June 5, it emerged that anti-terrorism court Judge Shahid Rafique, who was hearing the case, had been transferred and posted as district and sessions judge in Jhang district of Punjab province.
Since then, no one has been appointed to replace him.
"The case was adjourned till June 16 as no new judge has been appointed to hear it," Khwaja Haris Ahmed, the counsel for Lakhvi, said.
Official sources said Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman was likely to be appointed to hear the case.
Rehman had earlier heard the case related to the 2007 assassination of former Premier Benazir Bhutto.
The judge hearing the Mumbai attacks case has been changed five times since the proceedings began in early 2009.
The trial has dragged on behind closed doors at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi without much progress.
The proceedings have been marred by numerous controversies and technical delays and only a handful of over 160 prosecution witnesses have testified so far.
In September last year, there were no proceedings for several weeks as no judge was assigned to the case.
The seven suspects, including Lakhvi, have been charged with planning, financing and executing the terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people in November 2008.
PTI
