ISLAMABAD - Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Islamabad Thursday granted bail to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the main accused of 2008 Mumbai attacks.
ATC judge Syed Kausar Abbas Zaidi heard the bail application of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and granted him bail, directing him to submit two surety bonds worth Rs 500,000 each before his release from Adiala Jail.
During the hearing, defence counsel Rizwan Abbasi contended that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had failed to furnish any evidence to prove involvement of Lakhvi in the Mumbai attacks.
“There is an insufficient evidence to connect my client to the Mumbai attacks,” maintained Abbasi. He prayed to the court to grant bail to his client.
On the other hand, FIA prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar opposed the bail application, stating several evidences had been furnished before the court, which were enough to prove that Lakhvi was involved in planning the Mumbai attacks.
Azhar contended that in his confessional statement, Ajmal Kasab, the only gunman who was caught alive by the Indian authorities, had alleged that Lakhvi was the organiser of the attacks.
He requested the court to reject Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi’s bail plea as investigation into the matter was still under process and statements were being recorded.
After hearing arguments from both the sides, the ATC judge granted bail to Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
Lakhvi is among the seven persons charged with planning to carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The six other men facing trial in Adiala Jail for their alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks are Jamil Ahmed, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Mazhar Iqbal, Abdul Majid, Shahid Jamil Riaz and Younas Anjum.
It was November 26, 2008, when 10 gunmen laid siege to the city of Mumbai that lasted nearly three days. It was the deadliest militant onslaught on Indian soil since independence, killing 166 people. Lakhvi was believed to be the operations head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) which has been accused by India of carrying out the attacks in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, another anti-terrorism court was established in the federal capital to share the burden of cases. Sohail Ikram has assumed the charge as the judge of ATC-II, Islamabad. Earlier, only one court was operational in Islamabad and Kausar Abbas Zaidi was conducting hearing of terrorism cases.
AFP adds: “We had moved a bail application with the Islamabad anti-terror court on December 10, today the judge granted bail to my client after hearing arguments from both sides,” Lakhvi’s lawyer Rizwan Abbasi told AFP.
Prosecutor Mohammad Chaudhry Azhar confirmed the court had granted bail.
Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the decision was “very unfortunate”.
“India has given enough evidence (against Lakhvi). We expect the Pakistan government to appeal at the earliest,” he told journalists in Delhi.
The court’s ruling comes a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed to crack down on terror groups, after Taliban gunmen massacred 148 people, mostly teenagers, at a school.
Sharif on Wednesday announced that a six-year moratorium on the death penalty would be lifted for those convicted of terror offences.
Delhi has accused Islamabad of prevaricating over the trials, while Pakistan has claimed India failed to hand over crucial evidence.
Analyst Pervez Hoodbhoy said Thursday’s development would hurt ties with India.
“After the Peshawar massacre there was an outpouring of sympathy for Pakistan from many countries, including India. But this will pass soon,” he told AFP. “By selectively attacking the ‘bad’ terrorists in Waziristan, while protecting those who have committed atrocities in other countries, Pakistan is on a weak wicket.”
India said Thursday that Pakistan court’s decision to grant bail to the alleged mastermind of 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai was unacceptable and demanded immediate steps to reverse the decision.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said the decision to grant bail to Lakhvi was “a reassurance to terrorists who perpetuate heinous crimes”.
“We cannot accept that LeT’s chief operations commander, Lakhvi, one of the key conspirators of the Mumbai terror attacks... a person designated as international terrorist by UN security council, is released on bail,” Akbaruddin said.
“We call upon Pakistan to immediately take steps to reverse this decision,” he told journalists in Delhi.