Islamabad: Alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, has again managed bail, this time through a lower court in Pakistan’s capital.
The court granted bail to Lakhvi on Thursday against surety bonds worth Rs 200,000. The bail application of Lakhvi was heard in the civil court of Mian Azhar Nadeem, where the counsel, Rizwan Abbasi, argued that his client was wrongly booked in the six years old kidnapping case.
He stated that the case was registered against his client to detain him on the pressure of India after the Anti-Terrorism Court granted him bail following a six-year delay in his trial. He observed that evidence recorded so far was based on hearsay. In response, the judge granted bail to Lakhvi.
According to the Dawn, when approached, the counsel said the surety bonds would be submitted within three to four days. However, the release of his client was difficult at the moment as he was detained in Adiala Jail under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) for a month. He may be released after the completion of the time period, he added.
The Islamabad High Court had suspended the detention order of Lakhvi after he was detained under Maintenance of Public Order when the Anti-Terrorism Court granted him bail on December 18.
India had conveyed its displeasure to Pakistan and put forward a strong response against granting of bail to the Lashkar-e-Toiba commander. But after this recent verdict it seems like Pakistan’s courts are in a tussle with each other.