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ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday ordered the conditional release of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi — the alleged mastermind of Mumbai attacks — on the condition that the accused submits a security bond worth Rs1 million.
The court has issued a two-page judgement on Lakhvi's release.
Earlier today, Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi had presided over the hearing of a petition filed by Lakhvi, seeking an end to his detention.
Lakhvi was granted post-arrest bail by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Dec 18. However, the federal government had extended his detention in the Adiala Jail under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance.
Read more: Mumbai attack 'mastermind' Lakhvi detained under MPO
On Dec 26, Lakhvi had challenged his detention in the IHC.
During today's hearing, Lakhvi's counsel Rizwan Abbasi had said that the court had previously accepted his client's bail, but it was the administration that had detained him which was unlawful. He said that granting of bail was an issue of fundamental rights.
Take a look at: Mumbai trial delays
After hearing the counsel's arguments, the court had suspended Lakhvi's 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 (LT) 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.
Pakistan's High Commissioner to India summoned over Lakhvi's release
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs summoned Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Mr Abdul Basit in New Delhi, and conveyed its concerns over Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi's conditional release.
Diplomatic sources confirmed that Mr Basit was summoned and that he told the ministry that Lakhvi's release was a judicial matter.
The Indian government also expressed concern over the slow pace of progress being made in the Mumbai attacks trial.
Basit assured the Indian Foreign Ministry that the trial of those accused of carrying out the Mumbai attacks is purely a judicial matter and that it is in progress.
Comments (96) Closed
2.The relation with Pakistan should be limited to consular level( tier 2 level).
Goes to show how serious is NS with regards to terrorism.
The toothless judiciary en-reined by the terror! All the more reason to employ military courts for right action without fear.
It is very unfortunate that courts and law enforcers are feeling helpless against the onslaught of terrorists. This is very dangerous development for Pakistan and India. It is the common man who will pay the price.
Thumbs up to Pakistan. They have proved that they really are standing against the terrorists.... I can see that this is the best example of the Pakistani govt doing justice to the Peshawar school shootout victims..
"He said that granting of bail was an issue of fundamental rights." Lakhvi has blood on his hands. What fundamental rights is this thug entitled to?
omg, what a hypocritical democracy . "He said that granting of bail was an issue of fundamental rights" - what about right to live for the people he killed. yet another action from pakistan which puts the subcontinent in jeopardy
again same mistake please my government my fellow Pakistanis please stop worshiping these good terrorist these savage animals will only make your and my children like themselves please keep them at bay or give to india or usa.
Righteousness of a judge is judged from the sensibility of his judgement !
This is nothing but an attempt to curry favour with the Establishment which will get implicated if Lakhvi and others are brought to book. None of the evidence against the accused provided by India as well as International agencies has been presented in Court by the Public Prosecutor, for obvious reasons. Terrorism an a selective approach to tackle it will sink Pakistan, not really a question of if, but when.
Good one,so have to set free.
the "good" guy gets to leave prison, create more havoc , and get termed as a freedom fighter. pakistan, i dont know how you profess peace in the neighbourhood with a gun to your head. the hypocrisy has to stop
Very sad and very bad! As an Indian, I don't know how to react to this utterly frustrating news!
Very bad. Now he will create more problems for even Pakistan.
Our judicial system is broken....beyond repair.
Pakistan Govt. are trying to clean the system but two wrong can not make one right.
This is solid proof that Military courts are required to prosecute these butchers of humanity
This shows how pakistan is serious about Terrorism.
This was expected. Lesson to India; stop; you might wanna concentrate on gathering at least an ounce of evidence that can hold up in a court rather than using friends in Pakistan to wrongly implicate people over your own self created issues.
@Krish To your point, Narendra Modi has a lot of blood on his hands, that didn't stop India from voting him PM. Not that I am justifying Lakhvi's actions. I am just "exemplifying" the fabulous justice system our countries have.
Disgusting! We have learned nothing from the deaths of our children. We will lose many more unless we change our anti indian thinking.
How these courts can provide justice to victIms of peshawar army public school.
What Pakistan HC does with their under trials is its internal matter and India can only apply diplomatic pressure, which will yield nothing. One option for India is to try and influence the US to conduct a Abbottabad like operation that got Laden or conduct one such operation themselves
Hope he gets immediately arrested and tried first in the new mil-courts
Ashamed of this nation, to call neighbor. Where is Justice? Same expect for Peshawar killers. .
V Sorry to say.... But how can u then hope that Peshawars dont happen?
Best paid profession is judges in Pakistan for instance several other facilities like mercedes, securities and bungalows to them and they are afraid of terrorists, its possible only in islamic repulic of pakistan.
@sam It is about to happen soon.
It is a black day for Pakistan not to have seized an opportunity to repair the damage caused with a neighbouring state but leaving dangerous criminals to roam the streets of Pakistan is perhaps being insensitive to the efforts of the security services in the war with terror.
I can understand the anger among the Hindustani readers but Pakistan should stick to the penal code and should not take any nonsense from eternally complaining neighbours.
@Krish this needs proving by evidence beyond any doubt and not on your emotional remarks.
As an Indian, this decision doesn't come as a surprise to me. While I respect the Pakistani judicial system, I still do question Pakistan's resolve to fight terror. What saddens me is not the fact that his detention has been suspended and he might walk free, but the fact that Pakistan has paid a very heavy price only recently. I feel sorry for the common man of Pakistan who I consider no different from the Indian common man; after all, it is the common citizen of Pakistan who might have to face repercussions. And finally, I feel that India should stop whining and complaining and instead focus on settling domestic disputes, beefing up internal intelligence and security, revamping old and antiquated police laws. The choice is Pakistan's to make. Just leave it to them.
Nothing surprising. This was bound to happen sooner or later.
This is preposterous and the entire trial is a big charade. India will be compelled to stop diplomatic relations and all track II dialogue with Pakistan. If this is what the powers that be in Pakistan want, so be it. Enough is enough and we are fed up.
The release is result of conspiracy.
The court has released him out because their is no proof! The India is lying about him. A typical Indian phenomenon to blame it on pakistan.....If you see the video that guy was wearing a rakhi showing he was Indian hindu...!
Justice has been done Mr. Justice ? Don't you feel shame granting him bail & don't you feel for the family of Victims of their Terror?
The requirement of establishment of military courts is the need of the hour....
India has been too soft in handling this issue.
Hope with time India learns to really make issues like these painful for Pakistan,
Unless and until that happens,Pakistan is going to continue with patting terror on back.
plz pakistan jail him kashmiri like me face the brunt of terrorism sponser buy these people
In October 21 year 2011 Hilary Clinton noted ""It's like that old story - you can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard," Clinton said during a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Pakistan has not heeded her advice.
Actions like this are pushing Pakistan over the brink.
Even as a pakistani, this is painful to read. It seems our children's lives were lost n vain as we have learned nothing
@Krish there is no proof of it. Just b/c you Indians think that some one is guilty of a crime does not mean he/sh is. That is court's job to decide based on evidence.
To all the disappointed Indians out there, this is exactly why many Pakistani people are demanding change in the country through Imran Khan. The political and judicial system is dis-functional and corrupt. Only real change can bring about betterment in these institutions.
They should re arrest him he is a criminal and should not be let loose.It seems that the government has no muscles.
until proven guilty we need to make sure we report him as alleged master mind.....Also we should only punish him on clear evidence not just wishes of India
justice wins indian propaganda fails.
Good to see the headline 'Mumbai attack master mind' in Pakistani media.....
I can't even say anything against Pakistan, its just sad that and my heart cries in pain when I see them letting him off despite India and the International community (USA) providing enough evidence to prosecute him. This is just so sad :(
request all pakistani people to force their government to punish such people and ensure justice is delivered... trust me this news will not create good image about pakistan in the whole world. there is no 'good' terrorist.. they belong to same clan who killed the innocent angels in peshawar. thnx
News heading is misleading. He is "Suspected Mastermind"
Pakistan back to its attitude...
Not that simple... both nations have suffered and still suffering due to their conflicts that date back to 1947 independence.
Sorry Indians we can only condamn this action of IHC as normal citizens . Wish some sense prevails and concerned people show some courage . It's shame .
How can anyone be surprised or outraged at this judgement? If there are lawyers in Pakistan who can shower roses on a murderer of a state Governor, then, surely there must be judges ready to shower "rosy" judgement on a terrorist! After all, judges do come from the same community!
@sam
An extreme position, that must be avoided.
Very sad comments posted This is how the pakistan govt works
This decision simply further signifies an urgent need of establishing Special Courts.
This is Pakistan :-(
Dear Pakistani brothers...Do you still believe that your Government will really fight terrorism. Will the Government ever be able to come out of the clutches of these "Good terrorists"? God only can save the country.
Pakistan already seems to have forgotten Peshawar. It is back to business as usual.
The Titanic is firmly on its course towards the largest intercontinental iceberg out there. Good luck.
a good case for a military tribunal.
@Muhammed all proofs were given by Indian government and foreign agencies and the audio recordings also proved to be of his ....so I think your country is completely incapable .....
@sam, Not surprised from emotional comments by Indians. Courts in Pakistan are not under government unlike in India. Decisions are based on evidence in Pakistani Courts. The prosecution is a weak link in Pakistan. India should donate $10 Billion to Pakistan for improvement for prosecution procedures.
what the poor judges can do, he gives value for his life.... when comes to giving judgement. That's the worst Ground situation in Pakistan....
@Asif Kamil
Dear Asif, thanks for what you've said. I think majority of Pakistanis' views have changed after the intolerable Peshawar massacre. But NS and the Establishment still cannot let go the good terrorist bad terrorist theory. If there's a cancer in the body, removing it only in parts and leaving it in other parts which are not vital, still spreads cancer sooner or later. Hope this doesn't happen to Pak.
Pray that those killed in the Mumbai attacks get justice and may the souls of those little children who perished, get real peace for their sacrifice.
So pakistan has not learnt anything from 16/12. very very sad, feel sorry for the pakistanis.
@sam India did not provide any solid evidence against Lakhwi, except some concocted and hypothetical sories.
Absolutely astonishing! There seems to be a complete lack of nous and determination on the pary of Pak establishment to eradicate terrorism.
Watch out, by releasing this guy, you are also preserving terrorism mindset and setting very bad example
The army wants to hang only those who attacked them. They do not want to touch anyone who kill the civilians either in Pakistan or India.
This is solid proof that Military courts are required to prosecute these butchers of humanity, we need justice for every one to protect our country, like youtube have no isse but it is still blocked in pakistan, but no problem you can still access it by 12345Proxy
@sam who cares
everyone in Pakistan is helpless including judiciary!!!!!!!!
Where judges are afraid to deliver justice what hope remains.
@zaki Well said sir.
Convicted terrorists should be punished swiftly, but in this case I am wondering if this gentleman is accused or is he convicted? If he is simply accused, which mean accusers couldn't produce compelling proof to convict him in last 6 years, then he should be set free without any condition. However, if he is convicted then he should be punished swiftly.
Pakistan needs revolution and constitution needs to be rewritten. else poor Pakistani citizens will have to live with suicide bombers and Peshawar like massacre. sad indeed.
@Gnanesh please worry about India Assam and all the religion conversion etc please leave us alone !
It is the crucial time to show if Pakistan means what its PM has declared- because terrorism does not distinguish its clients in the ultimate analysis!
@sam, agreed, this should stay at this level until the Kashmiri people get their right of self determination.
As a Pakistani, I condemn this shameful act. A terrorist is a terrorist, no matter where he attacks in India or in Pakistan or in Timbaktu!
@Asif Kamil :(
Amazing. This judge should be investigated.`
@sam how strange and nerominded you are!
Military courts is the only solution.
It is time for Pakistan to wake up. Time and again, history proves it , they turn back and bite the handlers. America has learned that, you too should know this.
There is a reason why Clinton called Pak "the most dangerous place on earth"! Still has not changed.
@hyat I am writing this comment not as indian or a Pakistani all this are man made demarcations but as a human being.. Am deeply pained not only by the release of any terrorist by court but by the fact that even the dust has not settled after the Peshawar incident.Amidst this cacophony of eradicating terrorism in the country what could have been that, which so compellingly forced the court to grant the freedom to terrorist. These reasons in themselves speak the extent of influence the terrorists and the sympathizers have over the Govt machinery either by conviction or by compulsion or fear. How painful it is for the parents of the martyred children. What is the guarantee that the released terrorist will not master mind another attack whether within the country or outside. What about all these committees, military courts, national action plans, candle lights, hollow statements. Actions are diametrically opposite to the words.
@Majid Ahmed I had hoped that Peshawar would cause a change in the Pakistani mindset. Apparently it has not.
@Atif Yeah keep on blaming Modi and setting terrorists free, That will stop terrorism in Pakistan.
@Merchant Yeah keep on doing that. I do not see any hope for Pakistan.
@ahmed Good thinking. Brilliant people like you are the future of Pakistan.
@hyat Yes and the result will be seen in the days to come 2015 is going to be very 'interesting' for Pakistan.