2008 Mumbai attacks: FIA asks court to conduct day-to-day hearings

RAWALPINDI: 
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday asked an anti-terrorism court to conduct day-to-day hearings of the Mumbai 2008 attacks case.
Up to 166 people were killed while another 170 were injured in the attacks, which took place in November 2008.

The FIA has asked the court to hold hearings daily to expedite the trial of the seven arrested suspects.
Special Judge ATC-I Chaudhry Habibur Rehman said the application will be taken up on November 10. The alleged mastermind of the attacks Zakiur Rehman and Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid were arrested in January 2009.
The court could not take up the case on Saturday as lawyers were observing a black day in protest over the emergency declared by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2007.
FIA Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said the case has been pending since four years, but statements of only six prosecution witnesses have been completed.
He referred to Section 19 (7) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, which states that hearing of heinous crimes under the terrorism law will be conducted on a day to day basis.Indian authorities also refused to allow a Pakistani judicial commission to cross-examine the chief investigation officer of Mumbai and other Indian officials. Thus, the trial court rendered the statements of Indian prosecutors inadmissible.