Pakistan government is all set to challenge the bail to Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the key planner of 2008 Mumbai attacks, after getting a copy of the court’s order, the chief prosecutor in the 26/11 case said on Saturday.
“We have finally got the Anti Terrorism Court’s [Islamabad] order copy. We have prepared the appeal against it and will file in the High Court soon after the superior courts’ two-week holidays end by the first week of January,” prosecution chief Chaudhry Azhar told PTI.
Over a week after Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi granted bail to Lakhvi, the government on Friday got the copy of the bail order.
‘Hearsay evidence’ Mr. Zaidi on December 18 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 detained him for three more months under Public Maintenance Order in Adiala Jail where the trial is being held.
Lakhvi challenged his detention under MPO in the Islamabad High Court on Friday after the government rejected his plea for release.
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 main evidence on the basis of which Lakhvi was charged in the case was the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab, who has been executed in an Indian jail on November 21, 2012, the order said.