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Pakistan

Mumbai attacks: ATC rejects commission's report

Dunya News

ATC on Tuesday rejected the report submitted by the commission on the Mumbai attacks case.

Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman, the judge of the Rawalpindi- based anti-terrorism court no. 1, said in an order that all the proceedings and the report of the Pakistani judicial commission that visited Mumbai in March were illegal.The commission was not only barred from cross-examining but access to the four witnesses was also not granted, the court said.The court added that the commission’s report could not be made part of records related to those accused in Pakistan and that the activities of the judicial commission were a waste of time.The eight-member commission, which included prosecutors and defence lawyers, visited Mumbai and interviewed a judge, a senior police officer and two doctors who conducted the autopsies of the attackers and their victims. Indian officials had said that cross-examination of the witnesses was not allowed in line with an agreement between New Delhi and Islamabad.Chief prosecutor Chaudhry Zulifqar Ali had earlier told the court that another commission could be sent to India after ensuring that it would be allowed to cross-examine witnesses.In response to this, Justice Rehman today observed that if India and Pakistan could reach some new agreement that would allow the cross-examination of witnesses, the prosecution could move an application to send another commission to Mumbai.The case hearing has been adjourned till July21.