Pakistan extends Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi's detention by 30 days under MPO

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government today extended by 30 days the detention of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi - the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind - under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

"Since the detention of Lakhvi under MPO has been pending with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and his one month detention period was expiring early next week, the government today notified extension of another 30 days in his detention," an interior ministry official told PTI.

Lakhvi's detention had been extended with effect from today. The accused has been lodged at the high-security Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail since the Mumbai terror attack trial began in 2009.

The trial court granted bail to Lakhvi on December 18 last year in the case, following which India lodged a strong protest.

The Pakistani government detained him the next day for a month under the MPO. However, IHC judge Noorul Haq Qureshi suspended Lakhvi's detention on "weak legal ground".

Just before he was to be released from the jail, Lakhvi was arrested on charges of kidnapping Afghan national Anwar Khan.

Later, the Supreme Court suspended the High Court order and asked it to listen to the government's point of view before giving a final decision.

He and six others - Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum - have been charged with planning and executing the Mumbai attack in November, 2008 that left 166 people dead.