Pakistani judicial panel cancels September 7 visit to India

NEW DELHI: Once again, the Pakistani judicial commission, scheduled to arrive here on Saturday to cross- examine witnesses of the Mumbai terror attacks, has cancelled its visit, thereby further delaying the trial in that country.

It is understood that the eight-member Commission has called-off its visit citing "technical and procedural issues".

Last week, prosecutors had informed an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad conducting the trial of the seven suspects that an Indian government letter dated August 23 had stated that the Pakistani judicial commission could visit Mumbai during September 5-6.

"The commission will leave on September 7 for Delhi and it will need at least four days to cross-examine the four witnesses (in Mumbai)," Riaz Akram Cheema, part of the team defending the accused, had told the court.

The witnesses are the magistrate who recorded LeT member Ajmal Kasab's confessional statement, the chief investigating officer and two doctors who conducted the autopsy of the terrorists who carried out the Mumbai attacks in November 2008.

The Commission repeatedly failed to keep its dates in the past and with cancellation of the latest proposed visit, the on-going trial of seven suspects in that country will suffer further delay.

In past, the report submitted by the panel after its first visit in March 2012 was rejected by an anti-terrorism court as the commission's members were not allowed to cross- examine witnesses.