Pak. judicial panel coming to Mumbai today

The Pakistan judicial commission will arrive here from New Delhi on Thursday to record the statements of witnesses in the November 26, 2008 terror attack. “The commission will start recording the statements of witnesses on Friday,” an official told The Hindu on Wednesday. It will record the statements of four persons, including the Chief Investigating Officer of the 26/11 probe Ramesh Mahale, and Magistrate Rama Vijay Sawant Waghule, who recorded the statement of lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab. The other two persons whose statements will be recorded are two doctors from the State-run Nair hospital and J.J. Hospital, who had conducted the autopsies of nine terrorists involved in the attack and examined the wounds of Kasab. No cross-examining Official sources said that the commission may not be allowed to cross-examine the witnesses. “They will only be allowed to record the statement,” an official said. The proceedings will take place at the city's Esplanade court which has already issued summons to the witnesses. The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate will prepare a report on the proceedings and send it to the Pakistan anti-terrorism court which is conducting trial against Lashkar-e-Taiba's Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects. The Pakistani delegation will consist of 12-13 members. The judicial commission will include five defence lawyers, two special public prosecutors and a government official. It will continue to record the statements till Monday or Tuesday. Keywords: Mumbai terror, Pakistan probe, Pakistan judicial panel, Kasab, 26/11