A special anti-terrorism court delayed a hearing on Saturday to charge five suspects in last year's Mumbai terrorist attacks, a defence lawyer said. Pakistan's prosecution of suspects in the November killings of 166 people in Mumbai is considered a test of its commitment to eradicate militancy. Any delay could strain its relations with its giant South Asian rival, which has already condemned another court's release of Hafiz Saeed.
The ATC judge ordered the weeklong delay because the prosecution failed to provide one defence lawyer copies of the charge sheet, said Shahbaz Rajput, who is representing one of the suspects. He said a new hearing was scheduled for September 5.
"Once the copies are provided and the court is satisfied that the prosecution has completed the charge sheet, only then will the suspects be charged," Rajput said. Media were not allowed into the ATC proceedings, which were held in a maximum security prison in Rawalpindi. Pointing to the case against the five men, Pakistan insists it is doing its part to bring the Mumbai attackers to justice. But Islamabad has rejected Indian demands to extradite the suspects.
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