RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court hearing the Mumbai attacks case adjourned the hearing to August 4, DawnNews reported.

The court has also issued summons for five witnesses to appear at the next hearing.

The case was heard by ATC Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman in Adiyala prison.

During the hearing, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) produced two witnesses but the court did not get their statements on record.

The judge reiterated that the commission constituted for recording in India the testimonies of four witnesses of the attacks was not allowed to cross-examine Indian prosecution witnesses.

The judge said that the commission's issue needed resolving before the statements of the two witnesses could be recorded, adding that, the testimonies of the two witnesses were linked to the prosecution witnesses in India.

Adjourning the case's hearing to August 4, the judge issued summons for five witnesses.

On July 17, the court had declared illegal the findings of the commission constituted for recording the testimonies of witnesses in India.

The court had moreover said that the defence counsel for seven suspected abettors of the Mumbai attacks — alleged mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum — had not been given the right of cross-examining the Indian prosecution witnesses and, subsequently, the FIA could not use the statements of Indian witnesses against the seven suspects.

The court had, however, said the testimonies could be used by the FIA against the Pakistani accused only if the Indian court again allowed the defence counsel to cross-examine the witnesses.

The seven had been formally indicted on November 25, 2009 for planning and helping the execution of the 2008 attacks.