The leader of a banned sectarian terrorist group is set to walk free from jail, officials said Tuesday, even as the government considers “radical changes” to tackle militancy after a Taliban school massacre.
Malik Ishaq, the head of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) which is dedicated to killing minority Shia Muslims, is expected to be released on Thursday after the Punjab government withdrew a request to extend his detention under public order laws.
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged to eradicate the “cancer” of sectarianism, and will add to concerns about the effectiveness of the government response to the school killings.
LeJ has claimed responsibility for numerous bloody attacks, including two bombings targeting Shias in Quetta in 2013 that killed a total of nearly 200 people.
A senior legal official said the decision not to seek an extension of Ishaq’s detention was made by a three-judge review panel at Lahore High Court on Monday.
‘Radical changes’
Ishaq, named a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” by the US, has been implicated in numerous murder cases and was accused of masterminding a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore which killed eight people.
An anti-terror court in May cleared him of inciting violence and of making speeches which fomented hate but he was held under maintenance of public order laws.
