The release on bail by a Pakistani court of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind was a “shock” to “all those who believe in humanity”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.
A sombre Modi told the Lok Sabha that India had strongly conveyed its sentiments to Pakistan following a Thursday court order to release Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi.
The prime minister said India was deeply saddened by the Tuesday massacre by terrorists at a Pakistani school and “was cognizant of the pain Pakistan might be reeling under”.
But the release on bail of the former Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander after such a tragic incident had come as a “shock” to “all those who believe in humanity”, Mr. Modi said.
The Pakistan government has since announced that Lakhvi would remain in detention.
India’s approach towards Pakistan on the issue would be in tune with the sentiments expressed by Indian MPs, he added.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj would give a statement in the Lok Sabha Monday and apprise the nation of India’s stance vis-a-vis Lakhvi’s release.
On Thursday, Sushma Swaraj said: “We cannot accept that ... Lakhvi, one of the key conspirators of the Mumbai terror attack in which so many innocent people were slaughtered, a person designated as an international terrorist by the UN, is being released on bail.”
