MUMBAI: Even as war of words continues between India and Pakistan over the Mumbai terror attacks, the trial of the lone surviving terrorist Muhammad Ajmal Amir Qasab is likely to be held in the high security Arthur Road Prison, said to be the largest prison in Asia, according to police sources.

A police official said that the Arthur Road Prison is meant for undertrials and has a capacity of accommodating around 3,000 prisoners. In the past, the prison was a witness to the biggest trial in the judicial history in which more than 100 accused of the March 1993 serial bomb attacks, which followed after the demolition of the Babri mosque, were convicted by special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act Judge P.D. Kode.

The Mumbai Crime Branch officials, who have Qasab in their custody and lodged in their lockup in the heavily guarded office of the city police commissioner, have filed an application in the Bombay High Court seeking permission to conduct the trial of Qasab in the Arthur Road Prison, citing security reasons. The police have also expressed the fear that they anticipate threat to the life of Qasab if the trial is conducted in the city court.

The trial can only begin in the prison, if he is remanded to judicial custody and the police are granted permission to have the trial in the prison. Qasab, rated as the most dangerous criminal, will be kept in an isolated cell, and would not get access to mingle with any prisoners, said a senior police official.

Interestingly, Qasab has not been able to avail the services of any Indian lawyer to defend him. Even though he has written to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to provide him legal assistance, he has not received any communication from the Pakistani mission, which is not ready so far to accept that Qasab is a Pakistani citizen.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil said here on Friday that there is a strong demand from the people to deport Pakistani artists performing in the state. The people’s anger and strong sentiments have come forth after the attacks in Mumbai.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a local function, Patil said “The people’s mentality now is such that they want the Pakistani artists to be deported without delay.”

Responding to a question about the recent attack on the sets of a television comedy show in a studio where Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers had manhandled the well-known Pakistani comedian, Shakeel Siddiqui, during the shooting of the TV program, Patil said that that this was because the MNS had launched a campaign against Pakistani artistes, as the terrorists which attacked Mumbai were all Pakistanis.

To another question, whether the state government was considering of taking any action against the MNS workers who manhandled the Pakistani artist and caused damage to the set, Patil said that the issue will be examined prior to taking any action.

On Wednesday night, MNS activists had stormed the set of a TV program where Shakeel, was shooting and damaged the set.