The Pakistan judicial panel in Mumbai
The Pakistan judicial panel on 26/11, which is in India, has been denied permission to cross-examine the Indian witnesses.
The special court today turned down the request by the Pakistan panel. The court said the hearing will take place according to the directions of the Bombay High Court.
The Indian government had made it clear to Pakistan that the commission is here to only record the statements and not cross-examine the Indian officials. Pakistan's contention is that since charges against the seven accused are based on the lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab's statement in Mumbai, it is necessary to submit critical versions of four people: The policemen who conducted the initial probe and the doctors who performed autopsies on the nine accomplices of Kasab who were killed. The Pakistani team says these statements may help quicken the trial.
India had been pressing for the conviction of the seven men of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistani custody, alleging they masterminded the 26/11 attacks, but Pakistan has taken a long time to bring them to trial.
166 people were killed in Mumbai in the attack on November 26, 2008.