Lok Sabha condemns bail to Lakhvi

The Lok Sabha Friday unanimously condemned the release on bail of 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur Rahman Lakhvi by a Pakistan court.

During a discussion on the matter in zero hour, Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge said: "After 132 children were killed in Pakistan, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had said that all steps would be taken now to contain terror."

"But just two days later, we saw another face of Pakistan. A court has granted bail to Lakhvi," he said.

"I want to ask the government, how this can be condemned. We want to know what is the stand of the government," Kharge said.

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad Thursday granted bail to Lakhvi, who is among the seven people charged with planning and helping to carry out the Nov 26-29, 2008, Mumbai terror attack which left at least 166 people, many of them foreigners, dead and injured hundreds of others. Lakhvi was again detained on Friday.

At the time of the 26/11 attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) that India says was responsible for the carnage.

Kharge said that since the prime minister has already spoken to Nawaz Sharif on the attack in Peshawar, "we want to know what was said".

"What was the assurance given by Sharif," he asked, adding: "We do not want to politicise the issue, but it will be better if the PM tells us."

BJP MP Kirit Somaiya questioned as to how a Pakistan court had let off Lakhvi.

"He should be immediately handed over to India and meet the fate as Ajmal Kasab," he added. Pakistani national Ajmal Amir Kasab was the sole surviving gunman of the Mumbai terror attack. He was later hanged.

Somaiya said that the external affairs minister should speak with Pakistan on this.

CPI-M member M. Salim said: "We all condemn the Pakistan incident. There is no place for any kind of dialogue with terrorists".

Trinamool Congress' Kalyan Banerjee said it was very unfortunate that on "the basis of evidence the court has said it was not enough. The evidence provided by the Indian government was not used".

"This is a very serious matter and should be taken up by the government with Pakistan," he added.