India positive to Pakistan's request to cross-examine Mumbai attacks witnesses

Tehran, Aug 31 (ANI): India has urged Pakistan to speed up the trail of the 26/11 accused residing in Pakistan in an expeditious manner and in this regard New Delhi has viewed positively Pakistan's request to cross-examine witnesses related to the Mumbai attacks.

The issue figured during one to one meeting held on the sidelines of the NAM conference venue in Tehran between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday.

Singh urged Zardari to push ahead with the trials and the Pakistan President on his part, repeated a demand for a Pakistani judicial commission to cross-examine witnesses in India.

But after the meeting, India's Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters India viewed positively Pakistan's request to cross-examine witnesses related to the Mumbai attacks.

The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, that is hearing the cases against the seven militants has said it can't move ahead until this happens.

India has previously been wary about letting Pakistani officials cross-examine people related to the case, but allowed a Pakistani judicial commission to take the statement of the Indian policemen and the magistrate before whom Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving Pakistani gunman from the Mumbai attacks, made his confession.

The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi rejected this evidence, saying the commission needed to cross-examine the witnesses.

Mathai said Prime Minister Singh had reiterated New Delhi's demand that the trial of the 26/11 accused should be carried out expeditiously.

"The Prime Minister underlined the fact that trial of 26/11accused should be carried out in an expeditious manner, and said that action in this sphere would be a confidence building measure that would help in building public support, in building relations," Mathai said at a press conference.

He said that in response, President Zardari had reiterated his commitment to bringing to justice those accused of terrorism, but he also explained the problems that his country faced, and highlighted that terror is a scourge from which both countries suffer. (ANI)