Pak court adjourns trial of Mumbai terror accused,India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Saturday adjourned the hearing into the trial of five Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including the outfit's operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, till September 19. Sources said that Judge Baqir Ali Rana adjourned the case till September 19 following today's proceedings. However, details about the proceedings were not available following the media gag. Sources said that a lawyer, Shahbaz Rajput, representing one of the accused appealed against the media gag and urged the special court to allow the in-camera trial. "I protest against this media blackout. The whole world is aware of the allegations levelled against my clients and the authorities should now make public whatever evidence they have against them," sources quoted Rajput, as saying. The special Adiala Jail court has restricted the in-camera trial of the five accused of the Mumbai terror attacks citing security reasons. Though the court's order has not been made public, sources said it stated that the proceedings would be kept totally secret and 'not published' in any manner as the case had implications for 'national security' and 'national interests'. During the last hearing on August 29 as well, journalists were barred from covering the trial which is being conducted inside the prison for security reasons. Counsel for the Federal Investigation Agency, which probed the Mumbai attacks and arrested the five Lashkar operatives, had argued that the proceedings should be conducted in-camera in view of the sensitivity of the matter. The judge accepted this. While Lakhvi is accused of masterminding the attack, the four others, including LeT's communications expert Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz are being charged as facilitators, managers of funds and for locating hideouts for the attackers in Rawalpindi.

Pak court adjourns trial of 26/11 accused till Sept 19