Lakhvi detention: Pakistani court okays in-camera hearing

Islamabad, Jan 12: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday accepted the Pakistani government's application for an in-camera hearing to submit records on the detention of Zaki-ur Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Earlier, two different petitions had been submitted by the federal government and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the Supreme Court, which referred them to the IHC, Dawn online reported.

The Supreme Court also asked the IHC to should review its Dec 30 decision to grant Lakhvi conditional release.

The FIA petition challenged the Dec 18 decision of an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad granting Lakhvi bail.

However, the federal government had extended his detention in the Adiala Jail under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance.

Lakhvi has been behind bars since Feb 19, 2009, after an FIR was registered with the FIA's Special Investigation Unit (SIU) for allegedly training terrorists and facilitating the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people, many of them foreigners, were killed and hundreds injured.

IANS