Five LeT men's trial over Mumbai attacks adjourned till Aug 29

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, July 25 (PTI) Ruling that future proceedings
would be held in-camera, a Pakistani court hearing the case
against five LeT operatives, including its operations chief
Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, in connection with the Mumbai attacks on
Saturday adjourned it till August 29 without charges being
read against the accused.

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, sources said.

On Friday proceedings continued for about an hour and all
five accused were produced in the court.
Journalists were barred from covering the trial which is
being conducted inside the prison for security reasons.
Sources said the counsel for the Federal Investigation
Agency (FIA), 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.

This was accepted by the judge, who said future hearings
would be in-camera.

The counsel for the five LeT operatives submitted
petitions seeking copies of the First Information Reports
(FIRs) and two chargesheets drawn up against the accused by
the FIA, the sources said.

The court said they should be given access to these
documents and materials.

The court also recorded the statements of officials
who were assigned to hand over notices issued to 13 other
suspects identified by the FIA. These suspects have been
declared "proclaimed offenders".

A majority of the suspects are crew members of the two
boats that ferried the attackers to Mumbai.

Special Public Prosecutor Malik Rab Nawaz Noon, who
represented the government, told reporters the five LeT
members were yet to be formally indicted.

Shahbaz Rajput and Sardar Tariq Masud, the lawyers
representing the five LeT operatives, told PTI that the judge
had adjourned the matter till August 29 after hearing
arguments by both sides.

Rajput said the court failed to read the charges
against the accused and that the defence side is still waiting
for list of charges and supporting evidence.

While Lakhvi is accused of masterminding the attack,
the four other accused, including LeT's communications expert
Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil
Riaz are being charged as facilitators, manager of funds and
locating hideouts for the attackers.

Rajput claimed that the hearing was "pre-trial
proceedings", saying that the accused had not been formally
charged yet.

The trial of the five men was held up for over a month
due to the non-availability of a judge. It resumed after Judge
Rana was recently appointed to the anti-terror court no 2. PTI
RHL
rai
NNNN