Mumbai attacks suspects' lawyer claims evidence is 'sham'

ISLAMABAD: Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the attacks on Mumbai by LeT terrorists, the new lawyer of the seven Pakistani suspects charged with involvement in the incident today claimed the evidence provided by India was a "sham".

"The dossiers provided by India is information and not evidence as needed by the court. The evidence provided by India is a sham," Raja Rizwan Abbasi, counsel for Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other accused, told a news conference here.

Responding to the Pakistani prosecution team's contention that it is satisfied with the evidence and fully confident of securing a conviction, Abbasi said, "That is what the prosecution says and this is what we feel. Only the court will decide."

During the interaction with media at a three-star hotel, Abbasi fell just short of claiming the Mumbai attacks were an Indian operation, as propagated by conspiracy theorists and extremist groups.

The news conference, organised by a public relations firm, had all the trapping of a corporate event, including innovatively placed banners.

Zahid Hussain Tirmizi and Abbasi were named the new lawyers of the accused after Khwaja Haris Ahmed and Riaz Akram Cheema said they would no longer represent the suspects for "personal reasons".

Abbasi claimed India was delaying the slow-paced trial that began in early 2009. He said India should give Pakistan access to witnesses, evidence and sites for an impartial, unbiased prob