Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Monday and conveyed India’s “strong concern” at the lack of “effective action” by Pakistani prosecuting authorities to keep Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in custody.
Ms. Singh conveyed that India expected Pakistan to abide by its commitment that expeditious steps would be taken to bring all those responsible for the Mumbai terror attack to justice, an official release said.
India felt it was “extremely disturbing” that despite assurances over the past six years and the recent tragedies in Pakistan, there seemed to be “no end in sight to Pakistan remaining a safe haven for well-known terror groups.”
The Foreign Secretary is said to have expressed India’s ire at the fact that Pakistani authorities did not take urgent action in filing an appeal against the anti-terrorism court order, granting bail to Lashkar-e-Taiba kingpin Lakhvi.
Earlier on Monday, Islamabad High Court Judge Noorul Haq N. Qureshi, while accepting Lakhvi’s application challenging his detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), suspended the government’s order and directed him to submit a surety bond of Rs. 1 million.
