Pakistan demands more proof from India for 26/11 trial

Nearly eight years after the savage terror spree in Mumbai, unleashed by Pakistani militants, Islamabad has yet again asked New Delhi to provide “more evidence” for the early completion of the 26/11 attack trial. In New Delhi, it’s seen as a stalling tactic, with sceptics saying that with this attitude the Mumbai trial will never to its logical conclusion, with punishment for LeT operations commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and six other accused. “Our foreign secretary has written to India’s foreign secretary to provide more evidence so that Mumbai case trial is competed. The response from the Indian side is still awaited,” Pakistan’s foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said in Islamabad on June 30. Pakistan has arrested seven Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked militants, including Lakhvi, for their role in masterminding and executing the 2008 Mumbai attack in which 166 people were slaughtered. Maulana Masood Azhar, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai massacre, continues to roam around with impunity, spewing venom against India. Zakaria added that the dialogue was the only option to resolve all outstanding issues with India. “It has been said many times earlier that peace talks is the only way forward for relations between Pakistan and India,” he said. Pakistan’s demand for more evidence in connection with 26/11 trial has not played down well in New Delhi as India has repeatedly maintained that it has provided enough proof to Pakistan to prosecute the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.