Pak judicial panel cross-examines 26/11 witnesses, to inspect rubber dinghy, engine, cellphones

Earlier, the commission arrived on its second visit here to cross-examine the Indian witnesses amid stringent security in the court Tuesday morning.



In its previous visit in March 2012, the commission had examined the same witnesses. However, its then report to the Pakistani anti-terror court was rejected as the witnesses were not allowed to be cross-examined here.

Later, the matter was sorted out between the two governments with an agreement that the Pakistani panel could cross-examine four Indian witnesses so that the evidence could be usedin the trial against Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and others in that country.

The Pakistani judicial commission includes a new special public prosecutor, two officers from the anti-terror court and two defence witnesses.

On the night of Nov. 26, 2008, 10 heavily armed terrorists sneaked into south Mumbai by Arabian Sea route and targeted various prominent locations there.

They fired indiscriminately at all the public places including like Leopold Cafe, Hotel Taj Mahal, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Chabad House, Hotel Trident and Cama Hospital, killing 166.

While nine of the attackers were gunned down in a massive anti-terrorist operation mounted by the security agencies, Kasab was nabbed alive.

Those killed in the operations were: Ismail Khan alias Abu Ismail, Imran Babar alias Abu Aakasha, Nasir alias Abu Umar, Nazir Ahmad alias Abu Umer, Hafiz Arshad alias Abdul Rehman Bada alias Hayaji, Abdul Rehman Chhota alias Saakib, Fahad Ullah, Javed alias Abu Ali, Shoaib alias Abu Shoheb.

Kasab was tried and sentenced to death by various courts right upto the Supreme Court and hanged in Yerawada Central Jail in November 2012.