Pak court reserves till Monday decision on Lakhvi`s bail plea

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Aug 28 (PTI) A Pakistani anti-terrorism court
conducting the trial of seven suspects charged with
involvement in the Mumbai attacks on Saturday reserved till
Monday its decision on a bail petition filed by LeT operations
commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Defence and prosecution lawyers had presented their
arguments on the bail application during two previous hearings
and Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan, who was conducting the
trial within Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for security reasons,
heard the final arguments on Saturday.
Judge Awan then reserved his decision on the bail
application till Monday, defence lawyers said.
In his petition, Lakhvi has said that he should be freed
on bail as prosecutors had been unable to present any "solid
evidence" linking him to the 2008 Mumbai attacks during the
nearly 20 months that he has been in jail.
Judge Awan scheduled the next hearing of the case for
September 18 after hearing arguments by the prosecution and
defence on two other issues -- the prosecution's application
seeking voice samples of the seven accused and another
application for an Indian magistrate and police official to
testify via video conferencing.
The defence lawyers opposed both applications, saying
they were not allowed by existing Pakistani laws.
"Under the laws, the application seeking voice samples is
technically wrong as it is the right of the accused, and not
the prosecution, to seek voice samples," Shahbaz Rajput, one
of the defence lawyers, told PTI.
The defence objected to the prosecution's application for
Indian officials to testify via video conferencing as this too
is not allowed by Pakistani laws.
"The laws on this issue are not developed in Pakistan.
Existing laws cover video conferencing between Pakistani
courts and jails and not institutions or persons in foreign
countries," said Rajput. (More) PTI