26/11: Pak judicial panel can't cross-examine Indian witnesses

The Pakistan judicial panel on 26/11, which is in India, has been denied permission to cross-examine the Indian witnesses.

The special court today turned down the request by the Pakistan panel. The court said the hearing will take place according to the directions of the Bombay High Court.

The Indian government had made it clear to Pakistan that the commission is here to only record the statements and not cross-examine the Indian officials. Pakistan's contention is that since charges against the seven accused are based on the lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab's statement in Mumbai, it is necessary to submit critical versions of four people: The policemen who conducted the initial probe and the doctors who performed autopsies on the nine accomplices of Kasab who were killed. The Pakistani team says these statements may help quicken the trial.

India had been pressing for the conviction of the seven men of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistani custody, alleging they masterminded the 26/11 attacks, but Pakistan has taken a long time to bring them to trial.

166 people were killed in Mumbai in the attack on November 26, 2008.

LeT is raising female terrorists group readying to sneak into India

The Lashkar-e-Toiba is raising a group of 21 female terrorists at its training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for carrying out sabotage activities in India, Army sources said on Tuesday.

"We have confirmed reports that LeT is imparting training to 21 selected female terrorists at its training facilities in Muzaffarabad in PoK for carrying out terrorist activities in India," an Army official said here.

They said the new group, named as Dukhtareen-e-Toiba, is planned to be made active in the Kashmir Valley by the LeT.

In the recent past also, reports have suggested presence of female terrorists operatives in the 42 active terror training camps in PoK.

The women terrorists are planned to be infiltrated into India through routes in Uri sector or using the aerial route through some other country.

Sources said the raising of the female terror group was brainchild of LeT senior functionary and mastermind of Mumbai terror attacks Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

They said the terror group has suffered serious setbacks in Jammu and Kashmir with the elimination of their top leadership by the security forces.

They are also working on recruiting local youth in certain areas of the state, including Pulwama, to expand terror network and the task has been assigned to a person, Usman Bhai alias Chhota Rehman, they said.

Delhi Police arrests 2 Babbar Khalsa terrorists

Two suspected terrorists of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) outfit were arrested from the national capital and Punjab.

It is being said that three politicians and one religious leader in Delhi were on the hit list of the arrested terrorists.

The terrorists have been identified as Sarvpreet and Jaswinder. The security officials will produce the duo in court later today.

A senior police official said a team of Delhi Police's Special Cell apprehended the duo.

In October, Delhi Police had claimed to have foiled a terror strike, possibly in Delhi, ahead of Diwali after seizing over 5 kg explosives from a car outside Ambala Cant Railway station.

Investigators had then pointed to the possibility of LeT and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) joining hands to plot the attack.

A team of Delhi Police and their Haryana counterparts found the explosives in a car parked outside the railway station, about 200 km from Delhi, on October 12 following probe into inputs provided by intelligence agencies that a consignment of explosives is headed to a north Indian metro.