Pak court orders Lakhvi’s release, India sees red

Lahore, April 9

A Pakistani court today ordered the release of 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, a development which India said "eroded" the value of assurances repeatedly conveyed to it by Pakistan on cross-border terrorism.

Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq of Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the detention of 55-year-old Lakhvi under Maintenance of Public Order after the government failed to present sensitive records against him in court.

The judge ordered Lakhvi to submit two surety bonds worth Rs 1 million each for his release. "The law officer had submitted important information about Lakhvi, but the court did not accept this and declared the evidence unsatisfactory," an official of LHC told PTI. Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq, on the last hearing on April 7, had directed the government's counsel to submit record of secret documents about activities of Lakhvi today. Lakhvi had challenged the March 14 order of Punjab Government's District Coordination Officer, Okara, to detain him for 30 days.

Lakhvi's counsel Raja Rizwan Abbasi argued that after the LHC's earlier direction, he had filed a representation before the Punjab home secretary against his "illegal" detention but the home secretary dismissed it and upheld the 30-day detention order issued by District Coordination Officer, Okara.

Abbasi pleaded that a person could not be detained beyond 90 days without obtaining an order from the review board and the detention period of his client had gone beyond 90 days.

A provincial review board comprises judges of the high court. He pointed out that the trial court had released Lakhvi on bail in December 2014, however, the District Magistrate of Islamabad issued a detention order against him.

Later, Islamabad High Court (IHC) set aside Lakhvi's detention and ordered the government to release him. — PTI

Judgment erodes the value of assurances

Our concerns on this issue have been made known to the Government of Pakistan in the past. These shall be reiterated… known terrorists not being effectively prosecuted constitute a real security threat for India and the world. This also erodes the value of assurances repeatedly conveyed to us with regard to cross-border terrorism —An External Affairs Ministry spokesperson