Pakistan must get serious on terror: Kiren Rijiju

In the wake of the US and the UK asking Pakistan to hand over terror mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to India, the government on Tuesday said good sense must prevail on the neighbouring country and it must get serious on terrorism.

"Pakistan must get serious on the issue of terrorism. Pakistan must understand this and good sense must prevail on it," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told reporters. He was replying to a question on the US and the UK asking Pakistan to hand over Lakhvi, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack, to India to improve bilateral ties or to them for his "independent trial".

"It is a very good thing. The US and the UK understand that this time we must get serious on the issue of terrorism," Rijiju said. During Lakhvi's bail case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) yesterday, the prosecution had said that the "two countries had demanded handing over of Lakhvi to India".

Lakhvi will remain in jail under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) till February 18 after the Pakistan government extended his detention for another month. Lakhvi and six others - Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum - have been charged with planning and executing the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 that left 166 people dead.

Lakhvi was arrested in December 2008 and was indicted along with the other accused on November 25, 2009.

Also Read: US, UK ask Pakistan to hand over Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to India