India has again asked Pakistan for the voice samples of the seven Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists accused of masterminding the November 26-29, 2008 attack as an investigating team from that country will soon be visiting Mumbai to question witnesses of the terror strike.
The two countries reaffirmed their pledge to cooperate in the probe into the attack at a meeting on Saturday between Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) security meet here.
The two leaders issued a joint statement on Sunday after their meeting 'held in a cordial atmosphere'.
"The interior minister of Pakistan affirmed that his ministry was working toward an early visit of a judicial commission from Pakistan to India. He expressed the hope that the visit would take place at an early date," the joint statement said.
The probe panel from Pakistan will record statements of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R.V. Sawant Waghule and investigating officer Ramesh Mahale.
The two officials had recorded the statements of Ajmal Kasab - the lone Pakistani terrorist to be captured. He was one of 10 Pakistanis who sailed into India illegally from Pakistan and launched a three-day mayhem killing 166 people, including foreigners.
The two officials had also questioned doctors who carried out the autopsy of the nine terrorists and the victims of the carnage.
India wants Pakistan to conclude its trial against LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other LeT cadres charged with involvement in the Mumbai attack.
Lakhvi is believed to have given telephonic instructions to the 10 terrorists during the attack.
The Thimphu joint statement said that Chidambaram 'reaffirmed that India was willing to receive such a visit (from Pakistan)'.
"India would also send a team to Pakistan, as agreed during the last home secretaries' meeting in New Delh," it said.
The two ministers also discussed matters of mutual interest and concern.
The joint statement did not specifically mention about India's request for voice samples, but it said that Chidambaram 'referred to the requests made by the home ministry of India, some of which were pending with the Pakistani side since their last meeting'.
"The interior minister of Pakistan also sought an early response to some of the queries made in the same context," it said.
At the meeting of the home secretaries of the two two countries in Delhi on March 28, India had asked Pakistan for the voice samples of seven terrorists arrested in Pakistan.