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ISLAMABAD: An anti-terror court on Wednesday charged seven suspects in connection with the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people one year ago, a defence lawyer said.

The men were indicted at the court in a high security prison in the city of Rawalpindi on the eve of the first anniversary of India”s worst militant attacks, which dramatically soured relations with rival Pakistan.

All those in the dock pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The seven people Pakistan arrested over the November 26-29 siege on India”s financial capital included the alleged mastermind of the operation, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zarar Shah.

“All seven of them have been indicted, including Lakhvi. The accused pleaded not guilty as the evidence does not support the charges,” lawyer Shahbaz Rajput told media by telephone.

“They have been indicted under the anti-terrorism act and the Pakistani penal code,” said Rajput, without elaborating.

India and Washington blamed the deadly Mumbai rampage on Pakistan”s banned militant group LeT. The attacks stalled a fragile four-year peace process between the two nuclear-armed south Asian rivals.

The United States welcomed the court”s decision. “These indictments are an important step,” a State Department official told media on condition of anonymity.

“That is certainly a positive step but… a lot more needs to be done to make sure these types of attacks don”t emanate anywhere from Pakistani soil.”
Anti-terror court indicts seven over 26/11