Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, alleged mastermind of Mumbai terror attacks 2008, detained under Maintenance of Public Order
A day after an anti-terrorism court granted bail to the alleged mastermind of the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, the government detained him under Maintenance of Public Order.
Lakhvi, the commander of banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who was allegedly involved in planning, financing and executing the attacks on Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai in 2008, was granted bail by ATC judge Syed Kausar Abbas Zaidi against submission of surety bonds worth Rs0.5 million.
The approval of bail drew swift condemnation from New Delhi, which urged the Pakistani government to appeal.
State prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry reportedly said Friday that he would challenge the court order.
“I am completing all the legal formalities and then I will challenge this order in Islamabad on Monday,” Chaudhry said.
The 60-hour assault on Mumbai was blamed on LeT. Lakhvi remained in the high security Adiala prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi even after Thursday’s court ruling.
“Today I am trying to get a copy of the written (bail) order and then I will file an appeal in Islamabad High Court,” Chaudhry said.
The court’s ruling on Thursday came a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed to crack down on terror groups in Pakistan, after Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) gunmen massacred 148 people, mostly teenagers, at a school in Peshawar.
The premier on Wednesday announced that a six-year moratorium on the death penalty would be lifted for those convicted of terror offences.
Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said granting the bail was “very unfortunate”.
“India has given enough evidence (against Lakhvi). We expect the Pakistan government to appeal at the earliest,” he reportedly told journalists in New Delhi.
