In a major roadblock to India’s attempt to expedite the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack trail, mastermind and Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi will not give his voice sample, his lawyer said.
Reports quoted Lakhvi’s lawyer Rizwan Abbasi saying that his client cannot be forced to do so. “Lakhvi has refused to give voice sample in the past and will refuse again,” Abbasi said.
According to Pakistani law, the accused must give his consent for voice sample.
Sources said that the government is working on a mechanism to ensure that India’s demand for voice samples of Lakhvi is met. The issue will be discussed in the meeting between the National Security Agencies of the two nations.
Asking Pakistan government to take a stern action, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said, “Pakistan Prime Minister promised Narendra Modi to expedite the trial, so now Lakhvi’s lawyer’s refusal should be dealt with by the Pakistan government. Lakhvi’s position is an admission of guilt,” Nikam said.
This comes just days after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi announced that the two nations had agreed to share voice samples to expedite the 26/11 Mumbai attack trial.
The Pakistan had granted bail to Lakhvi in December 2014 over lack of evidence.
Lakhvi and six others – Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum – have been charged with planning and executing the Mumbai attack in November, 2008 that left 166 people dead.
Lakhvi, believed to be a close relative of LeT founder and Jamaat-Ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, was arrested in December 2008 and was indicted along with the six others on November 25, 2009 in connection with the 26/11 attack case. The trial has been underway since 2009.
