Punjab home ministry restores Lakhvi's detention

IHC on Friday declared Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi's detention illegal and ordered his release

A day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the release of Punjab Mumbai attacks 'mastermind'  Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, Punjab home ministry on Saturday issued orders to restore his detention for one month, Express News reported.

IHC on Friday ordered the release of Lakhvi, and declared his detention illegal.

Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi announced the decision, while suspending the detention orders issued by Islamabad administration last year.

Read: No-show: Lakhvi to now be indicted on March 7

On December 18, 2014, Islamabad’s Deputy Commissioner Mujahid Sherdil issued Lakhvi’s detention orders under the Maintenance of Public Order, which was subsequently extended for a third time. The prime objective of the detention was to prevent Lakhvi from attending any public meeting and potentially regrouping.

Read: Mumbai attacks: IHC temporarily suspends Lakhvi's detention orders

However, Lakhvi’s lawyer Rizwan Abbasi argued that an anti-terrorism court had granted bail to his client; but the government was flouting the court orders by not releasing him.

Lakhvi, a senior figure of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, is accused of planning, financing and executing the Mumbai attacks which killed over 160 people.