'Pak to give voice samples of 26/11 accused if court allows'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said it would give India the voice samples of the "criminals" accused in the Mumbai terror attacks within 24 hours after a court gives a go-ahead.

"We want to bring the criminals behind 26/11 to justice. Action on voice samples will be taken in 24 hours after court gives a go-ahead," Interior minister Rehman Malik told an Indian TV channel.

He was responding to reports of delays in pursuing voice samples of 26/11 accused.

India has been demanding voice samples of prime accused, Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and others, who were giving instructions to the ten terrorists during the attack on November 26, 2008.

A Rawalpindi court is hearing a case against Lakhvi and six of his accomplices, who have been charged with planning and facilitating the 26/11 strikes.

However the trial has been moving at a snail's pace. Since the trial of the seven Pakistani suspects began in early 2009, the judge has been changed four times.

On June 28, responding to a question on the voice samples, Malik said he had told his Indian counterpart P Chidambaram that Pakistani law does not permit authorities to obtain voice samples without the permission of the accused.

The only physical identification allowed under Pakistani law is thumb impressions and even photographs are not allowed, he had said.

The authorities have now approached a high court in this regard but to obtain voice samples without the permission of the suspects would amount to contempt of court, Malik had said.