Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Politics / Policy/  India open to considering Pakistan request on 26/11 witnesses
BackBack

India open to considering Pakistan request on 26/11 witnesses

Foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said that two teams had already come from Pakistan in 2012 and 2013 to examine witnesses

India blames Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group for planning and executing the 60-hour siege of Mumbai in 2008. Photo: AFPPremium
India blames Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group for planning and executing the 60-hour siege of Mumbai in 2008. Photo: AFP

New Delhi: India on Thursday said that it is willing to consider a formal request from Pakistan asking to examine 24 Indian witnesses to the 2008 Mumbai attacks case if and when it is received.

Foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said that two teams had already come from Pakistan in 2012 and 2013 to examine witnesses they considered relevant to the investigations into the Mumbai attacks.

“If Pakistan feels that some more witnesses need to be examined, we are open to considering that," Swarup said, adding that India has “repeatedly stressed that 99% of the evidence regarding the 26/11 Mumbai attacks lies in Pakistan."

His comments follow Pakistan on Sunday asking India to send 24 witnesses to depose before an anti-terrorism court hearing the Mumbai attacks case.

“The foreign ministry has written to the Indian government asking it to send all 24 Indian witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the trial court in the Mumbai attack case," Pakistan prosecution chief Chaudhry Azhar was quoted as saying by news reports.

He said the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad has already completed recording the statements of all Pakistani witnesses in the case, which has been underway in the country for more than six years.

“Now, the ball is in India’s court. The Indian government should send all Indian witnesses of the Mumbai case to Pakistan to record their statements so that the trial could further move ahead," said Azhar, who is also a special prosecutor of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The statements of the Indian witnesses were supposed to be used as evidence in the trial.

According to people familiar with the developments, India was unlikely to agree to Indian witnesses travelling to Pakistan to be questioned or cross-examined. “Let us see, when they send us a formal request on this," said one of the people cited above.

India blames Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group for planning and executing the 60-hour siege of Mumbai in 2008. The city was held to ransom from 26 to 29 November by 10 gunmen who set sail from Karachi and landed in Mumbai and targeted two hotels, a train station, a cafe and a hospital among key locations. At least 166 people were killed in the attack.

In February 2009, Pakistan detained seven suspects but some of them, including Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, whom India considers one of the key planners of the 2008 attacks, were released later for lack of sufficient evidence.

“We would like to see the trial in the Mumbai case to reach its logical conclusion. India will consider a request that comes from Pakistan in this connection," said the person cited above.

The slow pace of trial has been a sore point with India as are the investigations into the 2 January Pathankot airbase attack. According to India, progress in the investigations is key to build trust to resume a bilateral dialogue that has been stalled since 2013.

In response to another question, Swarup said that foreign secretary S. Jaishankar and foreign minister Sushma Swaraj would be travelling to Nepal next week for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation meetings, but did not confirm any planned interaction with their Pakistani counterparts.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 11 Mar 2016, 12:56 AM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App