India may allow Pakistan access to 26/11 witnesses

NEW DELHI - India may allow an investigating team from Pakistan to question Mumbai witnesses of the 2008 terror attack so that the trial against militant conspirators arrested in that country could be concluded.

According to informed sources, the government is awaiting “necessary opinion from the Bombay High Court - where the case is at present - before informing Pakistan about its stand on the access to witnesses.

The sources, with access to high-level thinking, said the court may present its view in the coming week and the Pakistani side would be informed accordingly.

They said the home ministry has no objection if the court allows the Pakistani team to record statements of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R.V. Sawant Waghule and investigating officer Ramesh Mahale.

The two Indian officials had recorded the statements of Ajmal Kasab - the lone Pakistani terorist to be captured among the 10 who attacked Mumbai in 2008, killing 166 people, including foreigners.

The two officials had questioned doctors who carried out the post-mortem of the nine terrorists and the victims of the mayhem.

The Indian government wants Pakistan to conclude its trial against LeT’s Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six others charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks.

India has given Pakistan 11 dossiers on its probe into the Mumbai attack. But Islamabad says the information is enough to conclude the trial against the arrested LeT militants who are believed to be behind the mayhem. The attack also stalled the peace talks between the two nations.