Mumbai attack case: Pakistan anti-Terrorism court summons 4 witnesses on Feb 25

Islamabad: Pakistan's new anti-terrorism court hearing the 2008 Mumbai attack case involving seven suspects, including mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, on Wednesday issued summons to four official witnesses for the next hearing on February 25.

"The trial court today issued summons to four official witnesses for next Wednesday's hearing," Prosecution Chief Chaudhry Azhar told PTI after the hearing. The trial court had adjourned the last three hearings as the record of the case was lying with the IHC in connection with Lakhvi's bail case.

"Today Anti-Terrorism Court-I Judge Sohail Akbar held the hearing of the Mumbai case after the record of the case was submitted to it by the office of the Islamabad High Court (IHC)," Azhar said.

The government transferred the 26/11 case from Anti- Terrorism Court (I) to the recently-established ATC (II), Islamabad on January 14 without giving any reason. The case was subsequently transferred from the court of Kausar Abbas Zaidi to that of Akbar. On December 18, 2014, the trial court granted bail to Lakhvi but was detained the next day under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). He has been kept in the high-security Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi till second week of the next month under the same order after the Pakistan government extended his detention by 30 days.

Pakistan faced strong reaction from India following the bail order. The government challenged Lakhvi's bail in the IHC and the case is pending. Lakhvi, 54, and six others, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum have been charged with planning and executing the Mumbai attack in November, 2008 that left 166 people dead.