Pakistani police on Tuesday submitted to an anti-terrorism court the "challan" with evidence against five Lashker-e-Taiba operatives arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Mumbai attacks.
The challan was submitted to anti-terror judge Sakhi Muhammad Kahut, who is hearing the case related to the five LeT operatives in the high-security Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. The hearings are being conducted in-camera.
Shahbaz Rajput, the counsel for LeT operatives Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Abu al Qama and Shahid Jameel Riaz, said Justice Kahut had set May 12 as the next date of hearing for the case.
With the submission of the challan and evidence on Tuesday, the charges against the five suspects are expected to be framed at the next hearing.
"They will be formally informed about the charges being brought against them and then the formal trial can get underway," Rajput told PTI.
Lakhvi, the operations commander of the LeT, was arrested during a raid by the army near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in December last year.
India has accused him of masterminding and planning the Mumbai attacks that killed over 180 people.
Authorities have framed charges against the five suspects under the Anti-Terrorism Act, Pakistan Penal Code and a cyber crimes law.
{{/usCountry}}Authorities have framed charges against the five suspects under the Anti-Terrorism Act, Pakistan Penal Code and a cyber crimes law.
{{/usCountry}}Security at the Adiala Jail has been tightened with the deployment of 300 additional personnel and installation of anti-aircraft guns following reports that militants could attempt a jailbreak to free Lakhvi and the other suspects.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik had last month confirmed the arrest of a sixth suspect in connection with the Mumbai attacks but his identity has not been revealed so far.