ISLAMABAD (AP) – A Pakistani court Monday suspended a detention order keeping the alleged planner of the Mumbai terror attacks in jail, possibly paving the way for his release, a government prosecutor said.
The development is the latest twist in the ongoing case of Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, one of seven men on trial in Pakistan in connection with the 2008 attack in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people.
Lakhvi is still in prison, pending the posting of his bail money, and Pakistani officials could try to fight the court’s decision. An immediate condemnation by neighboring India underscored how contentious the issue remains between the two countries.
The ruling came at a hearing in the capital of Islamabad, said prosecutor Jahanagir Jadoon.
A Pakistani court on Dec. 18 granted Lakhvi bail, saying there was not enough evidence to hold him.