With the Islamabad High Court dismissing the prosecution's petition seeking voice samples of 26/11 Mumbai Terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that the ongoing trial is a test of Pakistan's sincerity in combating terrorism directed towards India.
"We see the Mumbai terror attack trial in Islamabad as a test of Pakistan's sincerity in combating terrorism directed towards India. The planning, training and financing of the Mumbai terrorist attack was done on Pakistan, where 99 percent of the evidence is. It is Pakistan's responsibility to unearth and present requisite evidences in the ongoing trial so that the perpetrators are brought to justice," MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said at a press conference.
When asked about the possible dates for foreign secretary level talks between New Delhi and Islamabad, Swarup said talks would be held when both foreign secretaries agree on a mutually convenient date.
"It is not a question of whether we are considering dates in February, March or April. As soon as the foreign secretaries agree on a mutually convenient date, we will let you know. As of now, we do not have a mutually convenient date," he said.
The prosecution had sought Islamabad High Court's permission to compare voice samples of the suspects with the communication intercepted by Indian intelligence agencies.
The prosecution wanted to use this evidence against the seven suspects in the Mumbai attack case. The Islamabad High Court on Monday dismissed the petition.