A Pakistani court yesterday said the detention of Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Tayiba operations commander, was illegal. It thereby suspended the Punjab governments detention order against him under a public security act, drawing Indias ire.

Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq of Lahore high court suspended the detention of 55-year-old Lakhvi under Maintenance of Public Order after the government failed to present sensitive records against him in the court.

The judge ordered Lakhvi to submit two surety bonds worth Rs 1 million each for his release.

The law officer had submitted important information about Lakhvi, but the court did not accept this and declared the evidence unsatisfactory, an official of LHC said.

Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq on the last hearing on April 7 had directed the governments counsel to submit record of secret documents about activities of Lakhvi on Thursday.

Lakhvi had challenged the March 14 order of Punjab governments district coordination officer, Okara to detain him for 30 days.