BJP welcomes Pakistan SC order overturning Lakhvi bail

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has welcomed the Pakistan Supreme Court's ruling to overturn the Islamabad High Court's order to grant bail to 26/11 terror attack accused Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, saying that a well known terrorist like the latter deserves to stay behind bars.

"That's where Lakhvi should be, behind bars. After all he is a known terrorist, a well known terrorist. But that's exactly the problem that we have seen in Pakistan," BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli told ANI.

Kohli also accused Pakistan of differentiating between good and bad terrorists and charged the Islamic Republic of initiating action on its western front bordering Afghanistan, while not doing anything on its eastern front bordering India.

"They take action against the terrorists on their western border and on their eastern border, they seem to have a softer approach to people like Lakhvi and Hafeez Saeed and still we don't see justice happening for the 26/11 victims," he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson, Syed Akbaruddin welcomed the decision by the Pakistan Supreme Court.

"It is better if those who are lodged in jail remain there," he said.

On December 18, the Anti-Terrorism Court had granted bail to Lakhvi, who was involved in planning, financing and executing the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.

Next day, he was again detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

However, Islamabad High Court judge Noorul Haq Qureshi had suspended Lakhvi's detention under MPO, evoking a strong reaction from India.