Islamabad, April 13, 2013 |
Photo caption:The Hindu Fire at Taj Hotel in Mumbai in this November 27, 2008 picture. Photo: Vivek Bendre
A witness on
Saturday identified one of seven Pakistani men charged with
involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks as the person who had bought
inflatable boats used by the terrorists involved in the assault on
India’s financial hub.
Prosecutors
said the witness, whom they did not name for security reasons, had
identified accused Shahid Jamil Riaz during proceedings conducted behind
closed doors at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi by anti-terrorism court
Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman.
The witness
told the judge that Riaz and 10 other people had bought 11 inflatable
boats, saying they were to be used for fishing. The witness further
told the judge he had never seen these persons returning from sea with
any fish.
A total of four private witnesses testified during the hearing.
Another
witness told the judge that he had sold the accused a Yamaha boat
engine for Rs 1.6 lakh and yet another witness said he had sold the
accused six pumps, prosecutors told PTI.
The witnesses
also identified 10 men, including Amjad Khan and Atiqur Rehman, who
were allegedly involved in planning and executing the Mumbai attacks on
November 26, 2008 that left 166 people dead.
These 10 men were earlier declared “proclaimed offenders” or fugitives by the anti-terrorism court.
“The 10
proclaimed offenders were either trainers or facilitators of the
accused who launched the attacks in Mumbai,” chief prosecutor Chaudhry
Zulifqar Ali told PTI.
One witness
told the court that Amjad Khan had obtained from him a “port clearance
certificate” for Al-Hussaini, a fishing boat used by the terrorists.
Amjad Khan was also involved in purchasing the inflatable boats, another witness said.
Though Chief
prosecutor Ali identified the four private witnesses as Hamza Bin
Tariq, Muhammad Ali, Mohammad Saifullah Khan and Umer Draz Khan, he
refused to go into details of their individual testimony for security
reasons. All the witnesses belong to the port city of Karachi.
Additional
Director Altaf Hussain of the Federal Investigation Agency, who played
a key role in probing the Mumbai attacks, was present during the
hearing but the judge did not allow him to testify as a defence lawyer
argued that Hussain should record his statement after the private
witnesses.
Prosecutors
said the cross—examination of the four private witnesses could not be
conducted as the main defence lawyers did not attend the hearing.
In the past
too, the defence lawyers have held up proceedings by exploiting legal
loopholes and posing hurdles for the proceedings, officials said.
The judge adjourned the case till April 27, when the four witnesses are expected to be cross—examined.
“The witnesses protested against being summoned for the next hearing as it will result in a lot of expenses for them.
They demanded an allowance for travelling back to Rawalpindi from Karachi,” chief prosecutor Ali said.
Amjad Khan,
the fugitive identified by the witnesses, is a shadowy LeT organiser
and financier from Karachi who figured in a majority of dossiers
provided to Pakistan by India.
Khan, who hails from Multan, played a key role in arranging and providing funds to the ten terrorists who attacked Mumbai.
Khan is one of 20 suspects in the Mumbai attacks who are yet to be traced by Pakistani investigators.
These 20
suspects were named in a chargesheet filed in the anti-terrorism court
in 2009. They were all accused of playing a key role in facilitating
the Mumbai attacks.
Pakistani
authorities have so far arrested seven suspects, including LeT
operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. They have been charged with
planning, financing and executing the attacks.
Their trial has progressed at a snail’s pace due to repeated adjournments and various technical delays.
Nine of the terrorists involved in the attack were killed by Indian security forces.
The only surviving attacker, Ajmal Kasab, was hanged in Pune jail on November 21 last year.
Keywords: Mumbai terror
attacks, 26/11 attacks, Mumbai attacks case, Pakistani
court, Pakistan witness, inflatable boats, 2008 Mumbai attacks
Courtesy:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/pak-witness-identifies-one-accused-in-mumbai-attacks-case/article4614137.ece
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India has an intense nationalism, is a greatest country on earth! India is multi cultural, pluralistic Nation. She has to arrive in economic, agriculture, social, educational, health and hygiene next to China. But, in reality corruption, religious chauvinism, pseudo politics, ignored minorities, industries employing not even one percent of the population is disturbing. Amity India strives to expose India’s anti secularist force , being detrimental to India’s progress and to the social justice.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Pak# witness identifies one accused in Mumbai attacks Case#
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