Two crucial witnesses in the Mumbai attacks case - a bank manager and a security official - were today cross-examined in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of seven suspects charged with involvement in the assault five years ago.
The bank manager headed a branch in which one of the accused had an account while the official recovered the belongings of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi at the time of his arrest. They were cross-examined by defence lawyers.
"The manager headed the particular branch from which Rs 200,000 was transferred for the accused to buy boats and other things in Karachi," Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Mohammed Azhar told PTI.
"The other witness, an official who recovered the belongings of Lakhvi and two other suspects, was also cross-examined," he said.
Azhar said one more witness was to be cross-examined but the defence lawyers took the entire day to question the two others.
The next hearing of the case will be held on December 18.
Asked about his plea to initiate contempt proceedings against defence lawyers for claiming at a news conference that the evidence in the case was a "sham", Azhar said Judge Atiqur Rehman of the Islamabad-based anti-terrorism court had asked him to file a written request.
Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum were arrested in 2009 for their alleged role in the Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed and hundreds injured.
India recently handed over five key documents for use in the trial in Pakistan so that prosecutors can proceed against the accused. The documents include a certified copy of the Indian Supreme Court's judgement in the Mumbai case, and depositions by two doctors who conducted the autopsy of nine slain terrorists and the police officer who probed the case.
The seven suspects have charged with planning, financing and executing the attacks.
