New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said New Delhi had strongly conveyed its opposition to bail granted to a commander of a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit.
Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi was granted bail by a Pakistani court on Thursday. India claims Lakhvi was the mastermind behind the November 26, 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed.
“India’s concerns have been conveyed to Pakistan in strong and appropriate words,” Modi said in a statement he made in the Lok Sabha, which later passed a resolution condemning bail for Lakhvi.
Modi termed Lakhvi’s bail as condemnable since it came close on the heels of the terror attack on a Peshawar school in Pakistan, in which over 140 pupils were killed.
“I am concerned about what happened in Pakistan. There were tears in the eyes of every child in India about killing of children in Peshawar,” Modi said.
Setting aside differences between the treasury and opposition benches over last week’s conversion of 300 Muslims to Hinduism, the Lok Sabha on Friday displayed unity as it adopted a resolution on Lakhvi’s bail unanimously, sending strong signals to Islamabad that it cannot be selective in dealing with terror groups.
“We request the Pakistan government to assure us that under no circumstances should such an accused be released. We appeal to the Indian government to take up the matter with Pakistan and as well as on global platforms to bring the issue to a satisfactory solution,” Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan read out the resolution which summed up the prevailing mood of shock and anger in India.
Participating in the brief debate, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj rejected the view of a Pakistani court which had ruled that there is lack of adequate evidence against Lakhvi.
“It’s hard to believe there is lack of evidence against Lakhvi. We have told Pakistan in clear terms that we cannot accept the fact that a most wanted terrorist of 26/11 has been granted bail. We reject the argument that there is no evidence of his role in 26/11 attacks. We demand that Pakistan reverse this decision. We are keeping an eye on this issue,” Swaraj said.
India claims it has already provided sufficient evidence against Lakhvi to Pakistan including voice samples of Lakhvi’s instructions to 10 terrorists who came to Mumbai through sea route.
Lakhvi was allegedly tapped during phone conversations giving detailed instructions to the 10 militants on how to attack landmarks in Mumbai for maximum impact.
Ajmal Kasab, the lone militant captured alive, named Lakhvi and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed as the masterminds behind the Mumbai attacks.
Lakhvi was arrested along with six other terrorists in 2009 and charged with helping plot and execute the Mumbai terror attack.
A foreign ministry spokesman on Friday said Pakistan has been informed of the sentiments across the spectrum of Indian society that the matter would make a mockery of Islamabad’s commitment to fighting terror groups.
