Mumbai attacks: Govt told to produce ‘secret’ files on Lakhvi

Petitioner’s counsel requests court to declare JuD leader’s detention illegal

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the provincial government on Tuesday to produce secret reports, if any, against the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

Justice Muhammad Anwaarul Haq passed the order while hearing a petition by Lakhvi challenging his detention.

Petitioner’s counsel argued that the LHC on March 26 had directed the home secretary to decide his request against the detention, adding that the department had turned down his request, which was illegal.

Lakhvi’s attorney further said the department had no authority to detain a person for the fourth time without presenting him before the LHC review board.

Under the law, he stated that, the government was bound to produce the petitioner before the review board which was the only forum to decide the detention matter. He requested the court to declare the detention order as illegal and unconstitutional.

Lakhvi, the leader of the proscribed outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), earlier had filed a petition challenging his detention and the LHC on March 20 had dismissed his petition with directions to seek the available remedy before coming to the court.

He had also filed the petition seeking directions of the Punjab home secretary to decide his detention matter in light of an order passed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) which had declared his detention as illegal.

The petitioner’s counsel said the detention order issued by the Okara DCO was contempt of the verdict issued by the IHC, adding that the IHC had set aside third time detention of the petitioner and ordered the authorities to release Lakhvi immediately.

The JuD leader’s lawyer also said before the petitioner’s release, the Okara DCO on March 14 issued a fresh detention order against him.

The attorney requested the court to declare the detention order as illegal and authorities should be directed to set the petitioner at liberty. The judge would resume hearing on April 9.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2015.