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India-Pakistan

Voice samples of Lakhvi in the limelight

2015-07-19

[DAWN] The voice samples of Ziaur Rehman Lakhvi are in the limelight once again since the Ufa meeting but it's an issue that the FIA has been following for the past few years, even though the Agency now claims that they are irrelevant to the trial. After having pursued the matter for four years, the FIA now says the voice samples cannot be used as evidence. "Though it might be helpful in the course of investigation but the audio allegedly recorded by the Indian Intelligence cannot be used as evidence as there is no law under which the authenticity of the voice could be proved", a senior prosecutor in the Mumbai attacks case told Dawn. He said that though the existing laws permitted the use of electronic evidence, there is no provision under which an accused can be forced to provide an audio recording of his voice which can then be matched with available samples. This view was also echoed by prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry who in a telephonic interview to some Indian channels after the Ufa meeting categorically stated that "the issue of voice sample is over now." Prime minister's adviser on national security and foreign affairs after the Ufa meeting has reportedly said that Pakistain needs more information and evidence to conclude the (Mumbai) trial. These statements were made because the Indian side brought up the Lakhvi trial in Ufa, including the issue of matching the voice samples. However, a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... the FIA was counting on these voice samples a mere four years ago. In 2011, the Agency went to the IHC to obtain the voice samples of Lakhvi and his co-accused Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum currently confined in Adiala Jail. The petition is still pending in the IHC. The IHC division bench on September 12, 2012 dismissed the petition for "non prosecution" -- in other words, the FIA was not pursuing this matter. However, a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... after the dismissal the FIA woke up again and its prosecutor filed a revised petition before the court once again asking the court to order the suspects to provide their voice samples.

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India-Pakistan

Lakhvi will not provide voice samples to India, says lawyer

2015-07-13

[DAWN] Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi ...an asset of the Pak govt and a big turban in Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is actually a redundant statement. Zak was the criminal mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attack. Despite what India's provided there is not enough evidence in this world for a Pak court to convict him or even to keep him in the calaboose for very long... , the alleged criminal mastermind of the Mumbai attacks in 2008, has refused to provide voice samples to India in relation to an investigation to indict him for involvement in the terror attacks on Indian soil, Hindustan Times reported on Sunday. Lakhvi's lawyer -- Rizwan Abbasi -- told the Indian media outlet that according to Pakistain's laws, the accused's consent was necessary for a voice sample. "My client has refused in the past and will refuse again," said Abbasi. The development comes only a couple of days after Pakistain's and India's premiers released a joint statement from Russia, vowing to expedite proceedings of the Mumbai attack case among other sticking points. Lakhvi was released from Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail in April this year, after a court ordered dismissal of detention orders issued against him by the Okara DCO on March 14. The Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... government had previously maintained that Lakhvi was detained based on 'sensitive information' provided by intelligence agencies. India condemned Lakhvi's release deeming it an "insult" to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai attack. "This is a very disappointing announcement. An insult to the victims of 26/11 Mumbai attack. The global community should take serious note of Pakistain's double-speak on terrorism," said an Indian home ministry spokesperson who asked not to be named. Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in Mumbai attacks are Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid. At the time of the attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LT) that has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks in India's financial capital.

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India-Pakistan

India condemns release of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi

2015-04-11

[DAWN] India condemned Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi ...an asset of the Pak govt and a big turban in Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is actually a redundant statement. Zak was the criminal mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attack. Despite what India's provided there is not enough evidence in this world for a Pak court to convict him or even to keep him in the calaboose for very long... 's release deeming it an "insult" to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai attack. “This is a very disappointing announcement. An insult to the victims of 26/11 Mumbai attack. The global community should take serious note of Pakistan's double-speak on terrorism,” said an Indian home ministry spokesperson who asked not to be named. Pakistan annuls India's criticism Pakistan, while reacting to Indian remarks over Lakhvi’s release, said it would not be proper to cast aspersions on Pakistan’s commitment to countering terrorism at a time when Pakistan has entered a critical stage of defeating the menace of terrorism. Answering the concerns of Indian ministry spokesman, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Alsam reminded India that the case of Mumbai attack suspects is subjudice. She said “inordinate delay in extending cooperation by India complicated the case and weakened the prosecution”. "We respect the judicial process and are confident that it would serve the interest of justice," she said. Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in Mumbai attacks are Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid. At the time of the attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-i-Taiba (LT) that has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks in India's financial capital. Lakhvi along with Zarar Shah was allegedly the key planner of the attack that killed 166 people.

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India-Pakistan

Lahore High Court orders Lakhvi's release

2015-04-10

[DAWN] The Lahore High Court on Thursday dismissed the detention orders of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi ...an asset of the Pak govt and a big turban in Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is actually a redundant statement. Zak was the criminal mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attack. Despite what India's provided there is not enough evidence in this world for a Pak court to convict him or even to keep him in the calaboose for very long... , one of the key accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case, and ordered his release. The court was hearing a petition of Lakhvi challenging his fourth one-month detention ordered by the Okara DCO on March 14. The Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... government had previously maintained the stance that Lakhvi has been detained based on 'sensitive information' provided by intelligence agencies. Justice Anwarul Haq had directed the government's counsel to submit records of the information to the court, which was also presented in the Islamabad High Court in the past based on which the IHC had ordered Lakhvi's bail. The court upheld the stance that if this sensitive information was reliable, the IHC would not have accepted Lakhvi's bail. Therefore, the LHC ordered Lakhvi's release based on the lack of reliability of the sensitive information provided and directed the accused to play Rs20 lakhs in surety bonds to Adiala jail. Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in Mumbai attacks are Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid. At the time of the attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LT) that has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks in India's financial capital. Lakhvi along with Zarar Shah was allegedly the key planner of the attack that killed 166 people.

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India-Pakistan

LHC rejects Lakhvi's petition challenging detention order

2015-03-21

[DAWN] The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday rejected Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi's petition challenging the detention order against him. Justice Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa said after the hearing that in light of recent circumstances, it is possible that releasing Lakhvi could cause turmoil in the country. Lakhvi had filed a petition with the Lahore High Court challenging the detention order passed against him by the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... home department. The petition filed earlier through Advocate Rizwan Abbasi prayed to the court to set aside the detention of Lakhvi for being illegal and a violation of Islamabad High Court (IHC) order. On Mar 13, 2015 the third time detention orders on Lakhvi were declared void by the IHC ─ a day after which the Punjab home department reordered his detention. Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in Mumbai attacks are Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid. At the time of the attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) that has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks in India's financial capital. Lakhvi, along with Zarar Shah, was allegedly the key planner of the attack that killed 166 people.

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India-Pakistan

Govt challenges Lakhvi's bail in IHC

2015-01-04

[DAWN] The government on Friday challenged the bail of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi -- the alleged criminal mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks -- in the Islamabad High Court today. Earlier on Dec 18, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) had granted bail to Lakhvi. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... the federal government had extended his detention in the Adiala Jail under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutors Chaudhry Azhar and Hussain Pirzada petitioned to the court today, saying that the ATC had ignored testimony in the case while granting bail to Lakhvi. The application said there is solid testimony available against Lakhvi despite of which the ATC had sanctioned his bail, and pleaded that it should be rejected. The petition also alleged that Lakhvi's counsels had caused a delay in the case's proceedings. Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in Mumbai attacks are Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid.

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India-Pakistan

Mumbai attack 'mastermind' Lakhvi detained under MPO

2014-12-19

[DAWN] Alleged criminal mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi who was granted bail by an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad yesterday has been detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. A senior government source told Dawn that the government has also decided to appeal against the approval of Lakhvi's bail in superior courts. The ATC had ordered the release of Lakhvi after his post-arrest bail plea was accepted and Judge Syed Kausar Abbas Zaidi had set Lakhvi's bail at Rs1 million. The decision drew a sharp reaction from India and surprised many with its unfortunate timing, coming just days after one of the deadliest terror attacks the country has ever seen. Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in Mumbai attacks are Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid. At the time of the attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LT) that has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks in India's financial capital. Lakhvi along with Zarar Shah was allegedly the key planner of the attack that killed 166 people. The acceptance of his bail plea had come as Pakistain was mourning the deaths of school children and other victims of Tuesday's Taliban massacre and New Delhi had made a visible effort to show solidarity with Islamabad. The massacre and the reaction to it was followed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... 's lifting of the moratorium imposed on capital punishment in the country.

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India-Pakistan

ATC approves bail of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in Mumbai attacks case

2014-12-18

[DAWN] Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, one of the main accused in the Mumbai attacks case, was granted bail on Thursday by an anti-terrrorism court. The Federal Investigation Agency's prosecutor disagreed with the bail plea. However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... Advocate Rizwan Abbasi, the lawyer representing Lakhvi, stood before the court as the bail was approved. The court has directed Lakhvi to pay surety bonds worth Rs500,000 before he can be released on bail. Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in Mumbai attacks are Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid. At the time of the attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) that has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks in India's financial capital. Lakhvi along with Zarar Shah was allegedly the key planner of the attack that killed 166 people. The acceptance of his bail plea came as Pakistain is mourning the deaths of school children and other victims of Tuesday's Taliban massacre and New Delhi has made a visible effort to show solidarity with Islamabad. The proceedings of the case began in 2009 at the ATC in Rawalpindi and the case was transferred to the ATC in Islamabad the next year. In April this year however, proceedings came to a virtual standstill as special judge of the ATC expressed his inability to conduct the trial of the seven suspects due to security reasons. This came following a terrorist attack on the district courts in Islamabad in the month of March.

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India-Pakistan

Mumbai attacks case: Pakistani panel's visit to India delayed

2013-02-11

[Dawn] Legal complications have delayed a Pak team's visit to India, scheduled for the second half of the current month, for recording statements of four Indian witnesses to the 2008 Mumbai attacks after the defence counsel sought written assurances for cross-examination of the witnesses. On Feb 2, the FIA had filed an application in the Anti-Terrorism Court, seeking permission to join the proceedings of the commission constituted by the Mumbai High Court under Indian judge Amer Ahmed Khan to record statements of the witnesses against seven Pak suspects. The Indian authorities had asked Pakistain to send a panel of lawyers in February for recording the statements of R.V. Sawant Waghule, who had recorded the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab; Ramesh Mahale, chief investigation officer of the case; and doctors Ganesh Dhunraj and Chintaman Mohite, who had conducted post-mortem of the forces of Evil killed during the attacks. Khawaja Harris, defence counsel for the alleged criminal mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, informed the ATC on Saturday that Indian government's letter about recording the statements lacked clarity. It did not mention whether the witnesses would be cross-examined or not, he pointed out. He said the proceedings of last year's Mumbai commission had been declared illegal by the ATC because the defence team had not been allowed to cross-examine the witnesses. Riaz Cheema, another defence counsel, told Dawn that governments of Pakistain and India had agreed on Nov 5, 2010 to exempt the witnesses from cross-examination. He said when the defence counsel sought to cross-examine the witnesses during the proceedings of the Mumbai commission presided over by S. S. Shinde, the Indian prosecutor produced a letter containing details of the Nov 5, 2010 agreement. "Consequently, the commission did not allow us to cross-examine the witnesses," he said. "We will not join the proceedings of the commission unless the Indian and Pak authorities cancel the letter and assure us in writing that we will be allowed to cross-examine the witnesses," he said. Earlier in March 2012, another Pak panel -- including special prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali and counsel for the suspects -- had recorded statements of the witnesses but had not cross-examined them. According to the prosecution agency FIA, the suspects -- Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum -- could not be convicted unless the witnesses were cross-examined. Chaudhry Zulfiqar told Dawn that the Indian government had agreed in principle to allow the cross-examination but the defence counsel wanted the assurance in writing. "The counsel do not want timely disposal of the case and their recent request is part of their strategy to make the case linger on," he said. He said the case should be decided without further delay because it had strained relations between Pakistain and India and countries like the UK, the US and Canada, whose nationals had been killed in the attacks, were also keenly awaiting the outcome of the over four-year-old case.

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India-Pakistan

'Mumbai case suspects trained at LeT camps'

2012-11-12

Are you as surprised as I am? [Dawn] RAWALPINDI: Intelligence officials informed an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday that suspects in the Mumbai attacks case got training at various centres of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... (LeT) bully boy organization, including navigational training in Bloody Karachi. ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... In their statements recorded before ATC judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman, five inspectors of the Crime Investigation Department, who are prosecution witnesses in the case, informed the court about the training details and capabilities of suspects Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi (the alleged criminal mastermind), Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum. The officials were in charge of CID stations in Okara, Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, Mandi Bahauddin and Sheikhupura. They said the suspects, who allegedly participated in the attacks, were trained at the LeT training centres at Yousaf Goth in Bloody Karachi, Buttle in Mansehra ...a city and an eponymous district in eastern Khyber-Pakthunwa, nestled snug up against Pak Kashmir, with Kohistan and Diamir to the north and Abbottabad to the south... , Mirpur Sakro in Thatta and Muzaffarabad. The CID inspector from Okara alleged that Lakhvi was LeT's 'operational commander' who trained other bully boys. Lakhvi went to Kunar and participated in Afghan jihad against the Soviet forces, he said. A resident of Renala Khurd in Okara district, Lakhvi was an expert in using firearms and improvised bombs. He also remained 'commander' of LeT in Azad Kashmire, according to the statement. The other inspectors informed the court that suspected abettors Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jameel Riaz were also trained at LeT centres and at sea near Yousaf Goth in Bloody Karachi's Gadap town. FIA's Special Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali told the court that the witnesses were responsible officials who had recorded their statements without any pressure. They had no ill-will against the suspects, he said, adding: "It was their job to keep the Islamic fascisti of proscribed organization under observation." Khwaja Mohammad Haris, counsel for Lakhvi, asked the prosecution witnesses whether they had witnessed the suspects getting training at the LeT camps. The witnesses admitted that they had never visited the LeT places or witnessed the suspects getting training in use of firearms or IEDs and had relied upon the reports of informers. Mr Haris said the witnesses had no direct knowledge of the involvement of his client in the attacks and had never shared their intelligence with the police officials concerned. Talking to Dawn, the lawyer said if the statements were true then it showed negligence on the part of witnesses because being responsible officials they did not take any step for closing the training camps. "If they knew that Lakhvi or other suspects were involved in suspicious activities then why they did not put their names in the Fourth Schedule to limit their movement. The prosecution has fabricated a false story against the suspects and the statements of the five witnesses are part of that story," he alleged.

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