Pakistan

Head of militant group arrested in connection with Mumbai attacks

Article published on the 2008-12-08 Latest update 2008-12-08 14:16 TU

A man walks past a billboard in Mumbai, 7 Dcember 2008. India has been putting pressure on Pakistan.
(Photo: Reuters)

Pakistan has arrested a senior commander in a Pakistani-based militant group from the disputed region of Kashmir that is believed to be behind the Mumbai attacks. Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was among 15 people arrested in a raid late Sunday night on a camp run by a charity linked with the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

“We understand that his name was given to the Indian authorities by the lone attacker who surivived after the Mumbai encounters, and he named Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi as the chief of the group," said correspondent Rana Jawad. "So in that respect, this was a significant catch."

India says all ten gunmen involved in the attacks came from Pakistan. All were killed except one, who is being detained for questioning.

"There is no way that Pakistan will hand over any of its citizens to India," said Jawad, and if there is to be a trial, Pakistan will probably try the suspects itself.

Lashkar-e-Taiba, whose name means “Army of the Pious”, was established in the 1980s to fight Indian rule in Kashmir, and has been linked with Pakistani intelligence. The group is banned in Pakistan and India and is on the Untied States’ terrorist watch list.

The capture should please India, says Jawad. Pakistan has also been under pressure from the US to take action. US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, visited both India and Pakistan over the weekend.

Meanwhile, in Peshawar, militants on Monday destroyed about 100 Nato vehicles bound for Afghanistan, the second such attack in two days.

Jawad says arresting the Lashkar-e-Taiba members is putting strain on stretched Pakistani security forces.

“Aready Pakistani forces are battling heavily with Taliban militants in the northwest," he said. "If they have to open another front in central Pakistan, then it will be a very unmanagable sitation for the government of Pakistan... and we can see a sharp deterioration of the security situation in the country."