Judge says releasing LeT commander from custody at this point in time could cause turmoil in country
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday rejected Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s petition challenging the detention order against him.
Justice Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa said after the hearing that in light of recent circumstances, it is possible that releasing Lakhvi could cause turmoil in the country.
Lakhvi had filed a petition with the Lahore High Court challenging the detention order passed against him by the Punjab Home Department.
The petition filed earlier through Advocate Rizwan Abbasi prayed to the court to set aside the detention of Lakhvi for being illegal and a violation of Islamabad High Court (IHC) order.
On Mar 13, 2015 the third time detention orders on Lakhvi were declared void by the IHC ─ a day after which the Punjab home department reordered his detention.
Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in Mumbai attacks are Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Younas Anjum, Jamil Ahmed, Mazhar Iqbal and Abdul Majid.
At the time of the attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-i-Taiba (LeT) that has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks in India’s financial capital.
Lakhvi, along with Zarar Shah, was allegedly the key planner of the attack that killed 166 people.
