ISLAMABAD: The prosecution in the Mumbai attacks case informed the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) that the recently-arrested alleged financier of the attacks was still being investigated and a separate challan would be submitted to the court on September 22.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) last month arrested Sufyan Zafar on the charge of financing the Nov 2008 attacks in Mumbai. The accused had been declared a proclaimed offender in 2011 when the ATC indicted seven people, including Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind.

According to FIA documents, Zafar, son of Mujtaba Hussain, an ex-activist of the banned Lashkar-i-Tayyaba (LeT), was “one of the financiers of the defunct LeT. He contributed Rs14,800 through MCB Ghalla Mandi branch Gujranwala to the ABL Karachi (for Mumbai attacks).”

The FIA has booked Zafar under Sections 7/11-V (fundraising for terrorism), 21-C and 21-I (training and abetting the terrorists) of Anti Terrorism Act 1997, Section 302 (murder) and 109 (aiding) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), and Sections 11/17 and 19 (misuse of encryption, cyber terrorism and attempt to commit offence) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance.

The Special Investigation Unit of the FIA on February 12, 2009, registered the FIR against the suspects, including Sufyan Zafar, for their alleged connivance in the Mumbai attacks.

FIA deputy director (legal) Waseem Ranjha during an in-camera proceeding informed the special judge of the ATC that they were interrogating the accused in Adiala Jail.

He assured the court that the challan against the accused would be submitted to the court on September 22.

Sources in the prosecution told Dawn that after the submission of the challan the court would indict the accused.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2016