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26/11 accused Zaki-ur-Rehman-Lakhvi gets bail; Pakistan government to challenge bail

Pakistan government to challenge Lakhvi's bail "We have so far produced 46 witnesses in the court who testified against all seven accused - Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum. Only 15 more witnesses have to testify against them in coming days. And the trial is likely to be concluded in three to four weeks," he said.

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Shocked at granting of bail to the main conspirator of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi by a Pakistani court, two days after the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) terrorists killed over 130 children in Peshawar, India on Thursday conveyed its strong disappointment to Pakistan. It nearly washed out the initial pain and angst felt by prominent Indian leaders, including prime minister Narendra Modi on the murder of innocent children by TTP forcing them to get back to the old perception that Pakistan has not learned its lesson even after the gruesome attack and distinguishes between good and bad terrorists.

Who is Lakhvi?
LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is a key planner of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. 54-year-old Lakhvi and six others had filed bail applications on Wednesday in the midst of a lawyers strike to condemn the Peshawar school massacre that left 148 people, mostly children, dead.

Why is India angry?
What comes as a shocker to the Indian authorities is the fact that soon after the savage attack on the Army school, Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif had declared that there was "no difference between Good Taliban and Bad Taliban" and his government would announce a national plan within a week to "eradicate terrorism in all its forms."

What is Pakistan's refrain?
Though Pakistan blamed the bail on a technical glitch, the development created a huge uproar in India. Lakhvi's counsel advocate Raja Rizwan Abbasi said the court had granted bail as "evidence against Lakhvi was deficient".

What is India going to do now?
Senior Union home ministry said the ministry of external affairs has already been told to raise the matter diplomatically following which the Indian high commission in Pakistan has lodged its strong resentment to the authorities in Islamabad. "There may have been some laxity on the part of the prosecuting authorities concerned," said Rajnath Singh adding India had provided all relevant evidence of Lakhvi's direct involvement in 26/11 attacks to Pakistan.

What does India want Pakistan to do now?
Slamming the decision as very unfortunate, Union home minister Rajnath Singh hoped that Pakistan government will appeal in a higher court at the earlies to cancel the bail granted to Lakhvi. "After Peshawar attack, providing bail to one of the main accused in the 26/11 attacks is unfortunate..I will speak to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj about this," said Singh. He also demanded that India's most wanted terrorists including Hafiz Saeed should be handed over to India.

What about evidence against Lakhvi?
Union home ministry officials said information obtained through extensive interrogation of Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist caught alive during 26/11 terror attack, is enough to implicate Lakhvi. Kasab, who referred to Lakhvi as Chacha Zaki, gave vivid description of Lakhvi as a great fighter who drove in a Toyota pickup packed with armed guards in the training camp at Mudrike, welcomed the new recruits and introduced them to a roster of instructors led by Al-Qama, their instructor.

What all had Kasab revealed?
During his interrogation Kasab referred to Lakhvi several times as the main person who would come to see their training at various camps as and when they were moved - from Mudrike to Manshera to Battal and then the hardest training camps at Maskar-e-Ummalkura and Al-Aqsa in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Even David Coleman Headley, who recced Mumbai throughly to provide blueprint plan for the attack, has mentioned Lakhvi in great detail as the operational commander of 26/11. The coordinates and phone intercepts that India received from Americans and other sources also nail Lakhvi as the main person who was giving instructions to the 10 fidayeens when they were on the move - killing and maiming people indiscriminately. - With Agency Inputs

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