India asks Pak to grill cop probing 26-11 via videoconferencing

India has rubbished Pakistan’s request to send over the magistrate and investigating officer probing the 26/ 11 case to depose before a Pakistani court.

New Delhi has instead suggested that Ramesh Mahale, the Mumbai police officer probing the case, could depose and even be cross- questioned via videoconferencing.

However, the foreign ministry has told Pakistan that there is no provision in the Indian law to allow additional chief metropolitan magistrate R. V. Sawant Waghule to be grilled by a Pakistani court.

An application has been submitted to the Bombay High Court seeking its view on whether Waghule can depose before a Pakistani court through videoconferencing and if he can be cross- questioned by lawyers or the Pakistani magistrate during such a deposition, according to a foreign ministry source.

There is no precedent of an Indian official going to Pakistan to depose before a court or the other way round. The option of videoconferencing has been suggested in case of Mahale because of doubts over security of Indian officials if they visit Pakistan.

Pakistan had communicated that if Mohd Ajmal Qasab couldn’t be sent to Pakistan to depose before a Pakistani court against Zaki- Ur- Rehman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah and others, then it was imperative that Mahale and Waghule, who recorded Qasab’s confession, must testify before a Pakistani court.

Pakistan’s interior minister Rehman Malik had said last month that without the two Indian officials deposing before a Pakistani court, it would be “ impossible” to get the seven accused Pakistanis convicted because the charges depended solely on Qasab’s disclosures.

“We don’t want to give Islamabad an excuse to derail the ongoing trial (in Pakistan) against the seven 26/11 accused arrested there. So, we have suggested that Mahale could depose through videoconferencing,” the source added.

“ India wishes the trial in Pakistan is conducted speedily and the accused are convicted. It is in our interest that the videoconferencing option works.”