India seeks UN intervention on Lakhvi's release

Published May 3, 2015
The Lahore High Court had ordered the release of  Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, one of the key accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case, on April 10. — AFP/file
The Lahore High Court had ordered the release of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, one of the key accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case, on April 10. — AFP/file

NEW DELHI: India has sought the United Nations’s (UN) intervention in the release of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the main suspect in Mumbai terror attack who is also believed to be the operational head of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LT), according to a report on The Hindu website.

New Delhi has termed Lakhvi's release as a violation of the norms of the global organisation and said that the UN should raise the matter with Pakistan.

Read: Lahore High Court orders Lakhvi's release

The Press Trust of India report said that India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukherjee wrote a letter to the current Chair of the UN Sanctions Committee, Jim McLay, saying Lakhvi’s release by a Pakistani court was in violation of the 1267 UN resolution dealing with designated entities and individuals.

The sanctions measures apply to designated individuals and entities associated with terror groups including al Qaeda and LeT, wherever located.

The Lahore High Court on April 10 had dismissed the detention orders of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and ordered his release based on the lack of reliability of the sensitive information provided.

After the move was criticised in India, ISlamabad blamed New Delhi for the development.

Also read: FO blames India for Lakhvi’s release

“Inordinate delay in extending cooperation by India complicated the case and weakened the prosecution’s case,” FO Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam had said.

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.

Also read: US warns Pakistan over release of Lakhvi

At the time of the attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba 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.

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