NEW DELHI: Islamabad High Court on Monday suspended detention notification of the key planner of 2008 Mumbai attacks Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.26/11 accused​ Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi  had challenged his detention on Friday under a public security order in the high court after the Pakistan government rejected his plea seeking release.
Pakistan government had got the copy of Lakhvi’s bail order over a week after Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi granted bail to him. Earlier, the prosecution was facing problems in getting the copy of the order as the Judge was not releasing it because of unspecified reasons.
On December 18, Islamabad ATC Judge Zaidi had granted bail to Lakhvi citing lack of evidence against him in the Mumbai attacks case, but before he could be released from jail, the government had detained him for three more months under Public Maintenance Order in Adiala Jail where the trial is being held.
The ATC’s order has cited “weak evidence, the registration of the FIR invoking irrelevant sections and hearsay evidence against the suspect” as the reasons for granting bail to Lakhvi. ATC Judge Zaidi in his written order said the evidence against 54-year-old accused was based on the statements of officials of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) which apparently were ‘insufficient’ to refuse him bail. The decision to grant bail to Lakhvi drew sharp criticism from India and surprised many for its timing, just days after Taliban massacred 148 people, mostly school children, in Peshawar.
Lakhvi and six other accused – Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum — have been charged with planning and executing the Mumbai attacks that took place on November 26, 2008, and left 166 people dead. The trial has been underway since 2009.
India had strongly rejected Pakistan’s contention about insufficient evidence against Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and asked it to ensure reversal of bail granted to him as Parliament expressed outrage over the development and condemned it.
Earlier, addressing the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said, “We do not accept this theory that Lakhvi be released on bail. We reject the argument that the evidence against Lakhvi, who is the mastermind of 26/11, was not sufficient.”
She further added, “By allowing bail to Lakhvi, Pakistan has made mockery of its pledge to fight terrorism without discrimination. We demand Pakistan immediately get this decision overturned.”

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