ISLAMABAD: The alleged mastermind of Mumbai attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, on Wednesday challenged his arrest in a ‘six-year-old’ kidnapping case.

The police implicated him in the case after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended his detention order under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Islamabad on December 18, 2014 granted post arrest bail to Lakhvi in Mumbai attack case but the government issued his detention order the same day.

The IHC bench on December 29 suspended the detention order after Lakhvi challenged it and ordered for his conditional release directing him to appear before the ATC during proceedings of Mumbai attack trial.

Besides Lakhvi, six other suspects are also being tried by the ATC in Mumbai attack case. Lakhvi’s counsel claimed before the additional district and sessions judge, Zeba Chaudhry, that the government under the pressure of the Indian government was reluctant to release his client.

He pointed out that soon after the ATC granted post arrest bail to Lakhvi, the government issued his detention order which was too was set aside by the IHC.

When his client was awaiting his release he was implicated in a six-year-old kidnapping case, the counsel added.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2015