New Delhi : India Monday summoned Pakistan’s High Commissioner Abdul Basit and conveyed its “strong concern” at lack of effective action by authorities against alleged Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi following a Pakistani court ordering his conditional release.
An external affairs ministry statement said that the Pakistan high commissioner was summoned by Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh “who conveyed strong concern at the lack of effective action by Pakistan’s prosecuting authorities after the Anti-Terrorism court ordered the release of internationally-designated terrorist Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, whose involvement in the Mumbai terror attack is well known”.
India also conveyed to Basit that there seems to be no end in sight to Pakistan remaining a safe haven for terror groups despite its own recent tragedies.
“It was extremely disturbing that despite the assurances we have been receiving over the last six years, and the recent tragedies in Pakistan, there seems to be no end in sight to Pakistan remaining a safe haven for well known terror groups,” Sujatha Singh told Basit, the statement said.
The government told Basit that it expected Pakistan to abide by the commitment that expeditious steps would be taken to bring all those responsible for the heinous acts of terrorism in Mumbai to justice.
Sources said that the issue of Lakhvi’s release was raised by India both in Delhi and in Islamabad.
Coming out of the meeting, Basit refused to comment.”Ask them (the external affairs ministry),” he told reporters.
The Islamabad High Court Monday ordered the conditional release of Lakhvi – the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack – asking him to submit a security bond of Pakistani Rs.1 million (around $9,000), media reported.
On Dec 18, Lakhvi was granted post-arrest bail by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad. However, the federal government extended his detention in the Adiala Jail under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. On Dec 26, Lakhvi challenged his detention in the high court.