26/11 mastermind not released: Sartaj Aziz

Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistani prime minister's advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs, said Saturday that Zaki-ur Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has not been released and that India should also show progress over the trial into the Samjhauta Express blast.

Aziz said in a statement that Lakhvi has not been released and the government is reviewing a petition regarding his case.

He also expressed hope that India would show significant progress regarding the Samjhauta Express trial.

The Samjhauta Express blast that took place in the Delhi-Lahore train in 2007 had left nearly 70 people, mostly Pakistanis, dead.

Aziz also said that security forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to carry out coordinated operations along the Pak-Afghan border against terrorists.

Aziz, who previously stated that the massacre by the Taliban in an army-run school in Peshawar that left over 140 people dead was "Pakistan's 9/11", said that the Afghan leadership has also assured the Pakistan Army of full cooperation in countering terrorism.

Responding to a question, Aziz said that standard operating procedures for better border management between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been finalised and would be presented for approval before a joint military group meeting expected to take place shortly.