Pak government seeks early hearing of Lakhvi's case

Pakistan government on Friday sought the early hearing of LeT operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi's case in the supreme court, a day after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind was remanded to 14-day judicial custody for the abduction of an Afghan national.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has challenged the suspension of the detention order of Lakhvi, Geo TV reported.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had suspended on Monday the notification of detention of Lakhvi in the Mumbai case.

Just before he was to be released, Lakhvi was arrested on charges of kidnapping Afghan national Muhammad Anwar Khan.

According to an FIR registered on Monday at a police station in Islamabad, Khan was kidnapped by Lakhvi six years ago.

Lakhvi, 54, moved the court against the government's decision over his detention.

He was detained on December 19 under the maintenance of public order act, a day after he was granted bail by an anti-terrorism court on a surety bond of Rs 5,00,000.

He challenged his detention under MPO in the IHC which suspended the government order, evoking a strong reaction from India.

Courts in Pakistan are on a two-week winter break which started from December 24, meaning the government may not file the plea against Lakhvi's bail till January 8.

Lakhvi has been detained at Adiala Prison in Islamabad for the last five years or so. He will be produced before the court on January 15.

He 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 six others on November 25, 2009 in connection with the case. The trial has been underway since 2009.