ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) will indict on Nov 11 a recently arrested accused in the Mumbai attacks case after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) declared him guilty in the challan submitted before the court on Wednesday.
FIA in August this year arrested Sufyan Zafar on charges of financing the Nov 2008 attacks in Mumbai.
The accused was declared a proclaimed offender in 2011 when the ATC indicted seven suspects, including Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind.
FIA’s deputy director legal Mohammad Waseem Ranjha submitted the challan before the ATC during in-camera proceedings in Adiala jail.
According to FIA’s 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 booked Zafar under Sections 7/11-V, 21-C and 21-I of Anti Terrorism Act 1997 and Section 302 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), and Sections 11/17 and 19 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 involvement in the Mumbai attacks.
So far, FIA has submitted 6 incomplete challan in the Mumbai attacks case.
The legal experts though believe that under the Anti Terrorism Act 1997, the ATC would indict all the accused persons on November 11 and initiate de-novo (fresh) trial of all the suspects.
However, according to the sources in the prosecution of Mumbai attacks case, the court may treat the case of Sufyan Zafar separately as all the 69 witnesses in this case against the seven suspects have been testified.
The court has already summoned 24 Indian witnesses and the prosecution through diplomatic channel has requested the Indian government to arrange their appearance before the ATC.
However, despite lapse of 10 months, the prosecution is waiting for the reply from the Indian side, therefore, the trial in the Mumbai attacks case is at a standstill, the sources claimed.
Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2016
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