Top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, accused of plotting the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai in 2008, has been granted bail by an anti-terror court in Pakistan, a day after the country's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged to root out terrorism. (Nawaz Sharif Announces National Plan to Combat Terrorism)
The Islamabad court said it was granting Lakhvi bail as the prosecution had been unable to provide evidence against him. He was among seven people arrested in the Mumbai attacks trial in Pakistan in 2009 and was lodged at the Aadiyala jail in Rawalpindi. He had applied for bail yesterday.
In New Delhi, senior minister Prakash Javedekar said, "This is a matter of grave concern especially after Pakistan faced such a major attack and the Pakistan Prime Minister promised to crush terrorism." The Ministry of External Affairs is said to be in consultation with the Indian High Commission in Pakistan to prepare a strong response.
On Tuesday, India had pledged its support to Pakistan as it grapples with its worst-ever terror attack on an army-run school in Peshawar, in which the Taliban killed over 130 children. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Mr Sharif and said the Peshawar tragedy was "a call for our two countries and all those who believe in humanity to join hands to decisively and comprehensively defeat terrorism."
India has repeatedly urged Pakistan to rein in terrorist groups operating on its soil.
Yesterday, after an all-party meeting, Mr Sharif had pledged to draft a national plan to ensure that "not a single terrorist is left in Pakistan." (Will Wage War on Terror Till Not a Single Terrorist Left in Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif)
Lakhvi co-founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is banned in Pakistan. Another founder, Hafiz Saeed, accused by India of masterminding the 26/11 attacks and one of the world's most wanted men, already roams free in Pakistan and yesterday appeared on national TV blaming India for the massacre of the children at the Peshawar school and vowing revenge.
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