India’s security establishment is expected to accept Pakistan’s request to allow the judicial commission set up for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to cross-examine witnesses in India.
Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry, a special prosecutor of the Federal Investigation Agency, was on Wednesday quoted as saying that Islamabad would write to Indian authorities seeking the cross-examination of the Indian witnesses to fulfil legal requirements.
Sources said a section within the government had been in favour of giving the judicial commission the right to cross examine witnesses to ensure that the statements were treated as evidence by the anti-terror court.
This view, however, was overruled by the government on ground that the agreement between India and Pakistan on the commission did not provide for cross-examination.
“We will certainly examine the request from Pakistan with an open mind,” a government official said, adding the request could be accepted if there were no legal hurdles. India, he emphasised, wanted the case against the perpetrators of 26/11 attacks to succeed in its own interest.
With PTI inputs