Headlines
India says Lakhvi release 'most negative', France terms it 'deeply shocking'
New Delhi/Paris, April 10
India on Friday
registered its strong concerns with Pakistan on the release of 26/11
principal accused Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and said that it was a "most
negative development" for bilateral ties. In Paris, French President
Francois Hollande told visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the
release of Lakhvi on bail is "deeply shocking".
In a statement,
external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said that India's
High Commission in Islamabad has "registered our strong concerns with
the foreign secretary of Pakistan at the release of a principal accused
in the Mumbai terrorist attack of 2008".
India underlined that
the move "has reinforced the perception that Pakistan has a dual policy
on dealing with terrorists and those who have carried out attacks or are
posing a threat to India are being dealt with differently".
It also emphasized that "this is a most negative development in so far as bilateral ties are concerned".
The
issue of Lakhvi's release also featured in talks between Prime Minister
Modi and senior politicians in France as well as in his talks with
President Hollande.
Akbaruddin shared Hollande's tweet: "Release
on bail of terrorist accused of heinous crime of Mumbai terrorist attack
is deeply shocking - Prez @fhollande."
Lakhvi was released
overnight from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi without any announcement by the
jail authorities or the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD), the organisation that
Lakhvi was affiliated with, Geo TV reported.
Akbaruddin told
reporters in Paris that the French delegation that met Modi during a
lunch meeting at the National Assembly raised the issue twice. "Twice
the French delegation raised the issue of the unfortunate release of
Lakhvi in Pakistan and said it was not good news either for India or the
world."