26/11 case: No word from Pakistan on judicial commission's visit

Sydney Sun (ANI) Monday 6th February, 2012

Pakistan has failed to announce a new date for its judicial commission to visit India to record statements of key officials linked to the investigation of the Mumbai terror attacks.

The team was scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on Thursday, but no reason was given for the cancellation of the trip. Sources said it could be due to a special hearing of the case in a Rawalpindi court on February 4, where the trial is going on.

Pakistan had, earlier, indicated that the judicial commission could be sent to India before February 10. New Delhi had also expressed its desire to host the commission during the first half of February.

"Pakistan wanted the visit of the commission to be rescheduled and there has been no communication from Islamabad about the new dates," sources said on Monday.

The judicial commission is supposed to take statements of officers linked to the 26/11 probe, including additional chief metropolitan magistrate R V Sawant Waghule, investigating officer Ramesh Mahale and doctors who carried out post mortems of nine terrorists killed during the attack.

The visit has been pending for close to two years.

During the home secretary-level talks in March 2011, Pakistan finally agreed to send its judicial panel to India.

The commission wanted to question lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab, but his name was not included in the list of witnesses to be questioned. (ANI)