ISLAMABAD, March 26: A civil court here on Monday fixed April 2 for indictment of the family of slain Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

When senior civil judge Shahrukh Arjmand resumed the trial of the family in a house at Embassy Road, which has been declared as a sub-jail, advocates Atif Ali Khan and Mohammad Amir Khalil submitted the attorneys of the three wives and two daughters of Osama.

They requested the court for the copy of challan and statement of four witnesses submitted to the court by the prosecution - the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The court directed the agency to provide the same to the defence counsel.

Advocate Atif told Dawn that during the hearing Osama's widows and daughters also informed the judge that they had signed the attorneys.

He said Zakarya Abdulfatah, the brother of Amal Abdulfatah, the youngest wife of Osama, could not meet his sister so far, but they had obtained the necessary approval for the meeting.

The authorities had allowed him to meet his sister in accordance with the rules, he added.

The lawyer said the jail superintendent was not available on Monday and, hopefully, the meeting would be arranged on Tuesday.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had granted permission to Zakarya to meet his sister, he added.

It may be mentioned that the FIA registered a criminal case against the three wives -Shaim Sharif, Khaira Hussain Sabir alias Ume Khalid, Amal Ahmed Abdulfatah - daughters Mariam and Samina and nine minors under the charges of harbouring criminal, making fake identity, abatement and illegally entering and staying in the country without valid travel documents.