Pakistan yet to move court against Bail to 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi

Islamabad: Due to legal hitches, the Pakistan government on Monday did not file an appeal against the bail granted to 26/11 mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Government prosecutor Mohammed Azhar Chaudhry said he had not received a copy of the court order that granted bail to Lakhvi.

“The bail order is essential to complete legal formalities. We will challenge it after examining the bail order”, said Mr Chaudhry. A judge in an Islamabad Anti Terrorism Court had last week granted bail to Lakhvi, accused in the siege on Mumbai that left 166 people dead and was blamed on the banned Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT).

The bail decision triggered a furious response from New Delhi and Pakistani prosecutors swiftly announced they would appeal against it. The challenge was due to be filed on Monday but the government was unable to proceed. Lakhvi remains in custody in the high-security Adyala prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi after the authorities ordered his detention, following the court’s bail decision under public order laws.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told lawmakers last week that the bail order came “as a shock to all those who believe in humanity world over”. Islamabad denies the charge but LeT’s charitable arm Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), seen as a front for the militant group, operates openly in the country. Seven Pakistani suspects have been charged with planning and financing the attacks but the failure to advance their trials has been a major obstacle to better ties between Pakistan and India.

New Delhi accuses Islamabad of prevaricating over the trials, while Pakistan has claimed that India failed to hand over crucial evidence.