A Pakistani court conducting the trial of LeT's operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects in the Mumbai attack case adjourned proceedings till May 22 after the prosecution sought more time to gain access to Ajmal Kasab, sentenced to death by an Indian court.
Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan of the Rawalpindi-based anti-terrorism court put off the case for two weeks after the prosecution filed an application asking him not to proceed till Pakistani authorities gained access to Kasab and Fahim Ansari, an Indian national who was accused of involvement in the attacks but acquitted by the Indian court.
The prosecution said in its application that the Pakistan government had requested India to grant access to Kasab and Ansari.
It also said the arrest warrants issued for Kasab and Ansari by the anti-terrorism court had been provided to Indian authorities.
The prosecution also asked the court to take action against Kasab and Ansari under Article 87 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The article states that if a person against whom a warrant has been issued is absconding, the court can publish a written proclamation requiring him to appear at a specified place and time within 30 days.
Lawyers defending the seven suspects, including Lakhvi, filed an application in which they claimed the government was resorting to various tactics to delay the trial.
{{/usCountry}}Lawyers defending the seven suspects, including Lakhvi, filed an application in which they claimed the government was resorting to various tactics to delay the trial.
{{/usCountry}}Among these tactics is seeking access to Kasab, the application contended.
The application filed by the defence lawyers also noted that Kasab had been convicted and sentenced by a "competent court" in India and could not be tried for the same offence under Pakistani laws.