Pakistan may appeal against the Lahore court’s order to release Hafiz Saeed, chief of the Jamat ud Dawa, a front for the Lashkar-e-Toiba which India believes is behind the 26/11 attacks. India had protested against the release and charged Islamabad with not being sincere about cracking down on terror.

The release had also irritated Washington, which counts much more for Pakistan.

US envoy Richard Holbrooke, who is in Islamabad, told Geo-TV: “His release has disturbed us all.” Pakistan’s high commissioner Shahid Malik met foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on Wednesday.