The prosecution in the 26/11 case urged the court on Wednesday to issue a summons to joint secretary Manpreet Vohra of the Ministry of External Affairs, to confirm that Fahim Ansari was carrying a Pakistani passport when he was arrested in Uttar Pradesh in February 2008.

Ansari is accused of having provided Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives with Mumbai maps that were later used by the 26/11 attackers.

Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam filed an application for the summons to the joint secretary. However, the court is yet to issue it, as Nikam did not support the plea with the necessary documents. These would include the dossier submitted by Pakistan confirming that Ansari had procured a Pakistani passport in the name of Hamad Hassan after submitting fake documents. The prosecution will submit the required documents on Thursday, based on which the court will decide whether to issue a summons.

The Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorism squad had arrested Ansari with the passport and 10 Mumbai maps. This year, he was arrested for his alleged role in the 26/11 attack.

The court issued a summons to Bharat Thakhur, a Nepal-based friend of witness Nooruddin Sheikh. While visiting his friend in Nepal, Sheikh had bumped into Ansari and co-accused Sabahuddin Ahmed and was witness to the exchange of the maps.

The prosecution has so far examined 235 witnesses.