New Delhi, Jun 24: India has expressed grave concern "at the highest levels" to Beijing on Tuesday over China's move to protect Pakistan at the United Nations over releasing 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken up with Chinese leadership India's concerns over China blocking its move in the UN for action against Pakistan over release of Lakhvi in violation of a resolution of the world body.
“Government had taken up the issue of violation of the 1267 sanctions regime in respect of Zaki-ur- Rehman Lakhvi,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
“Our concerns in this matter were conveyed to the Chair of the 1267 Committee. We also raised this bilaterally with the other member of the Committee. In the case of China, this matter has been taken up at the highest level,” he added.
Earlier, the UN Sanctions Committee, which met at New Delhi's request, had sought a clarification from Pakistan on Lakhvi's release but China blocked the move, claiming that India had not provided sufficient information for the same.
In a letter to the current Chair of the UN Sanctions Committee Jim McLay, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukherjee last month had said Lakhvi's release by a Pakistani court was in violation of the 1267 UN resolution dealing with designated entities and individuals.
The sanctions measures apply to designated individuals and entities associated with terror groups including al Qaeda and LeT, wherever located.
The sanctions' committee has five permanent and 10 non-permanent UN member states in it.
The release of Lakhvi had also raised concerns in the US, UK, Russia, France and Germany with Washington calling for him to be re-arrested.
Lakhvi and six others - Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum - have been charged with planning and executing the Mumbai attack in November, 2008 that left 166 people dead.
Lakhvi, 55, a close relative of LeT founder and Jamaat-Ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, was arrested in December 2008 and was indicted along with the six others on November 25, 2009 in connection with the 26/11 attack case. The trial has been underway since 2009.
A Pakistani court had on April 9 set free Lakhvi, a development which India said "eroded" the value of assurances repeatedly conveyed to it by Pakistan on cross-border terrorism.
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