The Pakistani investigator who led the probe into the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks has said his country has to deal with the fallout of the mayhem "planned and launched from its soil" and this will require "facing the truth and admitting mistakes".


Tariq Khosa, who was made head of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) weeks after the assault that killed 166 people, acknowledged that the trial of the seven men charged for the attacks had "lingered on for far too long' and Pakistan must ensure the "perpetrators and masterminds... are brought to justice'.


In an article written for the Dawn newspaper, Khosa said "dilatory tactics by the defendants, frequent change of trial judges, and assassination of the case prosecutor as well as retracting from original testimony by some key witnesses' had been serious setbacks for Pakistani prosecutors. He also said Ajmal Kasab, the only 26/11 terrorist to be captured alive and consequently given the death sentence, was a Pakistani.


During their meeting in the Russian city of Ufa last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif agreed that the two sides will discuss ways to expedite the trial of the Pakistani suspects, including the use of voice samples.


Read the full interview with Mr Khosa in the Dawn.