No cogent proof against Maulana Masood Azhar, says Pakistan prosecutor

NEW DELHI: Two days after the National Investigation Agency ( NIA) filed a charge sheet against Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammaed (JeM) and three others, a senior Pakistani prosecutor has said that the charge sheet has been filed merely on the “basis of presumption”.

Speaking to ET, senior prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhary who is incharge of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks case and the Benazir Bhutto murder case, has claimed “there is no admissible evidence which can be taken cognizance of under the Evidence Act”.

Drawing a parallel between the charge-sheet filed in the 26/11 attack and Pathankot attack, Chaudhary, who has been appointed by the Pak government, said “similar charges were levelled against Hafiz Saeed purely on the basis of presumption”.

He added “simply relying on telephone calls and claiming that the attack (Pathankot) has been done at the behest of someone is no admissible evidence. The identity of the slain attackers could not be established by the Indian investigating agencies”. Claiming that the Indian authorities could not furnish any proof to the special team sent by Pakistan, Chaudhary said “no cognizance or cogent evidence was furnished by Indian authorities” to the joint investigation team (JIT) from Pakistan which had visited India. “We want terror to end but it has to be appreciated that benefit of doubt is to be extended to the accused. Merely on presumption one cannot be arrested or implicated” he said..