Mumbai attack mastermind Lakhvi to remain in jail

Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, would remain in jail after Pakistan's Supreme Court today overturned the High Court order suspending his detention under a public security act which evoked a strong reaction from India.
A two-member Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja set aside the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) order and admitted the government's appeal against the suspension of LeT operational commander Lakhvi's detention.
The apex court also referred the case back to the High Court for a "complete hearing" before giving a final decision.
"The IHC seemed to have taken the decision in a hurry. It did not hear the government's arguments in the case. The case is being referred back to the IHC which should conclude hearing after giving an opportunity to the government to give its arguments," Justice Khawaja remarked.

The court also restrained a judicial magistrate from proceeding on the bail application of 54-year-old Lakhvi filed against him in a kidnapping case against till the fresh verdict of the IHC.
In a joint appeal, the secretary interior on behalf of the government, district magistrate Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Islamabad senior superintendent of police, had sought the annulment of the December 29, 2014 IHC order, suspending Lakhvi's detention order under Maintenance of Public Order.

Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt argued the IHC order was "not sustainable" in the light of earlier Supreme Court judgements and pointed out that Lakhvi was a member of the proscribed outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) arrested in a terrorism case.

On the other hand, the government has already challenged in IHC the Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad's decision to grant Lakhvi bail.
Yesterday a two-member bench of IHC headed by Justice Shaukat Siddiqui took up the government's plea against the trial court's decision to grant Lakhvi bail. It summoned Lakhvi for arguments in the case on next hearing.