islamabad
Pakistan does not desist from its actions. The talk of action against terrorism by the neighboring country is a white lie. His secret was exposed again when Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and operations commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was seen building his body in the gym there. His video roaming freely in Pakistan has gone viral on social media. In the video, Lakhvi can be seen attending a dance class and working out in the gym. Although details about the location and date of the video are unclear, several media reports have claimed that Lakhvi has changed her look. Earlier he was captured on court cameras in Islamabad. At that time he was seen with a long beard. In the viral video, Lakhvi can be seen completely shaved.
Lakhvi sentenced to five years imprisonment by Pakistani court
In 2021, a Pakistani court sentenced Lakhvi to five years in prison for helping terrorism. India and the US had accused Lakhvi of plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. At least 160 people were killed in this attack. However, Pakistan had long denied Lakhvi’s involvement in the Mumbai attacks. But after the financial crisis and inclusion in the gray list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan had to send him to jail. Since then, Lakhvi has been seen many times roaming freely on the streets of Pakistan.
India demands Pakistan to hand over Lakhvi
India has repeatedly appealed to Pakistan to hand over Lakhvi, but Pakistan says that it will not hand over to India any Pakistani citizen linked to the Mumbai attacks. Pakistan has also said that such persons will be tried in Pakistan only. American media reports say that both Lakhvi and Ajmal Kasab are from the same area of Pakistan. According to The Dawn report, Pakistani authorities are unwilling to accept the clues of Lakhvi’s conversations as evidence provided by American and British intelligence agencies. These clues include Lakhvi’s phone calls which he made to the attackers hiding in the Taj Hotel in Mumbai.
Pakistani officials said Kasab’s statement and other evidence were not admissible in court. He said that these statements were taken under pressure from India, hence they cannot be accepted in any judicial process. He claimed that this information could not be admissible for trial in court. The report also said that there were serious differences between the US and Pakistan on this issue.
What do Indian and American officials say about Lakhvi?
In 2009, Indian officials told journalists in Delhi that they believed Lakhvi and Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Yusuf Muzammil had masterminded the Mumbai attacks. Indian and US officials said they would not be satisfied until Islamabad prosecuted those involved and took action against other terrorist groups linked to attacks on Indian soil. Let us tell you that Lakhvi’s roaming freely in Pakistan and Pakistan’s unwillingness to conduct internal investigation in this matter remains a serious question for the international community. This issue between India and Pakistan makes the need for joint action against terrorism even more important.
