Pakistan sacks chief prosecutor of Mumbai 26/11 terror attack for 'not taking govt line'

International

oi-Madhuri

Pakistan Interior Ministry on Sunday removed 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks special prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar as he was "not taking the government line" and had an "unbiased and independent" approach towards the nine-year-old case.

The development has come as a blow to India's efforts for justice in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Renowned lawyer Ujjwal Nikam said, ''If Pakistan has removed the chief public prosecutor from the 26/11 case, this simply means that they want to save the terrorists who were responsible for the attacks. This is all due to the pressure that has been building on Pakistan after David Headley's testimony.''

The development has come nearly two days after the United States of America urged Pakistan to cooperate with India in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks investigation. "We want to see justice done and we continue to urge Pakistani cooperation," Mark Toner, US State Department spokesperson had said on Friday.

In November 2008, ten Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists had sailed into Mumbai from Pakistan's port city of Karachi and launched coordinated attacks at various places in the city on November 28, killing 166 people and injuring over 300.