US expresses ‘grave concern’ over the release of 26/11 mastermind Lakhvi
Bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice is a key priority, says US state department acting spokesperson Jeff Rathke
Washington: Expressing grave concern over the release on bail of 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi from a Pakistani prison, the US on Friday said it has repeatedly asked Pakistan to follow through on its commitment to ensure justice for the 26/11 victims.
“We are gravely concerned about the release on bail of alleged Mumbai attack mastermind Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi," state department acting spokesperson Jeff Rathke told reporters at his daily news conference. “We have communicated that concern to senior Pakistani officials over the course of many months, and as recently as yesterday," he said when asked about the release of Lakhvi by Pakistan.
“Terrorist attacks are an assault on the collective safety and security of all countries. Pakistan has pledged its cooperation in bringing the perpetrators, financiers, and sponsors of the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice, and we urge Pakistan to follow through on that commitment to ensure justice for the 166 innocent people, including six Americans, who lost their lives," he said.
Rathke refused to comment on the “consequences or repercussions" for Pakistan for not following through its commitment as reflected in the release of Lakhvi. “I’m not going to put a time line on it (bringing perpetrators to justice). But certainly bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice is a key priority, and we stand by that. So, we’ll continue working in that direction, but I don’t have any further specific steps to outline right now," Rathke said.
Lakhvi, accused over the terror siege that left 166 dead, was released late on Thursday, according to an official at Adiyala Prison in Rawalpindi, close to Islamabad.
India slammed the release as an “insult" to the victims of the three-day onslaught on its financial capital, which was blamed on the banned Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The release comes following nearly four months of wrangling over Lakhvi’s detention after a judge granted him bail in December, sparking an angry response from New Delhi.
Pakistan’s government slapped Lakhvi with a series of detention orders but judges repeatedly cancelled them.
On Thursday the Lahore high court ordered his release, conditional on a two million rupee ($20,000) bond.
India has long seethed at Pakistan’s failure either to hand over or prosecute those accused of planning and organizing the Mumbai attacks.
Spokesman for India’s home ministry Syed Akbaruddin said in a statement on Friday that India’s high commissioner to Pakistan T.C.A Raghavan “has registered our strong concerns with the foreign secretary of Pakistan at the release of a principal accused in the Mumbai terrorist attack of 2008."
Home minister Rajnath Singh said, “India wants talks with Pakistan but the present development (release of Lakhvi) is unfortunate and disappointing."
France also expressed solidarity with India on its position on the release of Lakhvi.
French President Francois Hollande said on Friday he was deeply shocked by Lakhvi’s release and told Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his “indignation" over the development. Hollande thanked Prime Minister Modi for his “solidarity" over the Islamist attacks in the French capital in January. “In the same vein, I express to you my indignation each time that a terrorist is freed while he still has responsibility for an abominable act," Hollande said.
Delhi has long accused Islamabad of prevaricating over the trials, while Pakistan has alleged that India failed to give it crucial evidence.
Lakhvi’s initial bail order in December prompted an angry response from Modi, who said it came as “a shock to all those who believe in humanity".
Pakistani analyst Hasan Askari said he was at a loss to understand why the case had not been resolved and predicted a major spat with India.
“The government must settle this case once for all and face the international community," he told AFP on Friday. “It’s strange that this case has not been decided since 2009." PTI
AFP contributed to this story.
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