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7 Mumbai supects produced in court

7 Mumbai supects produced in court

By Agence Frace Presse

RAWALPINDI: Seven suspects accused by India of involvement in last year's Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people were Saturday produced in an anti-terror court in Pakistan, a defence lawyer said.

"Both defence and prosecution lawyers gave their arguments in the proceedings, the proceedings lasted for about three hours", defence lawyer Shahbaz Rajput said.

He declining to provide further details saying the judge had advised both sides against it.

The November 26-29 siege of the Indian city left more than 300 people injured when 10 heavily armed gunmen targeted luxury hotels, the city's main railway station, a popular restaurant and a Jewish centre.

Relations between the two nuclear-armed rivals worsened dramatically after the carnage that New Delhi blamed on the banned Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Journalists were not allowed to witness the court proceedings, which were held behind closed doors.

The court convened in a special room set up in the high-security Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, a garrison city adjoining the capital, Islamabad.

New Delhi has been pressuring Islamabad to speed up the probe of Pakistani militants believed to be behind the Mumbai attacks which killed 166 people.

"The hearing was adjourned but still no new date has been fixed," Rajput said

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said the seven men would soon be charged over the 60-hour rampage but called on India to provide more information to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Those in custody include the alleged mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and alleged key LeT operative Zarar Shah.

India has put on trial Pakistan's Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving gunman of the Mumbai attacks who has made a dramatic confession.

The two countries, which gained independence from British rule and split in the 1947 partition, have fought three bitter wars.