Pakistan has asserted that Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian man sought by India in connection with the devastating 2011 Mumbai terror attacks, is not considered a citizen of Pakistan.
Rana, implicated in the attacks which resulted in the deaths of 166 individuals, is being extradited from the United States and is expected to arrive in Delhi late Thursday.
According to statements released by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, Rana did not attempt to renew his Pakistani citizenship after relocating to Canada. Pakistan law does not permit dual citizenship for those moving to Canada. Khan stated emphatically that “Tahawwur Rana has not renewed his Pakistani documents for over two decades. His Canadian nationality is very clear.”
Who Is Tahawwur Rana?
Rana, who reportedly maintained connections with Pakistan’s military, its Inter-Services Intelligence agency, and the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba—the organization responsible for executing the 2011 attacks—was extradited from the US late Wednesday. Intelligence suggests Rana played a crucial role in supporting David Coleman Headley, another Pakistani-American involved in planning the Mumbai terror attacks.
Arrival and Imminent Prosecution
Upon arrival in India, the 64-year-old Rana will be immediately taken into custody by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and transferred to a high-security cell within Delhi’s Tihar Jail. He is expected to appear before a court in Delhi, followed by relocation to Mumbai for interrogation by senior officers and subsequent trial proceedings.
There have been widespread calls for the harshest possible penalty for Rana, including demands for execution.
Charges Against Rana
The charges against Rana are extensive, encompassing criminal conspiracy, waging war against India, murder, forgery, and other offenses. Testimony from Headley, currently incarcerated in the US, confirms Rana’s role in providing logistical and financial support for the attacks.
A Long Road to Extradition
Rana’s extradition represents a significant advance for justice following the Mumbai attacks and is attributed, at least in part, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic efforts. However, political figures from the Congress party have noted that the initial groundwork for his extradition began during their administration in 2009.
Former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram stated, “This extradition is the culmination of a decade-and-a-half of painstaking diplomatic, legal, and intelligence efforts which were initiated, led, and sustained by the (Congress-led) UPA government, in coordination with the US.”
Rana was initially arrested by the FBI in October 2009 on charges related to an aborted plot targeting a Copenhagen newspaper and providing support to Lashkar. He was convicted two years later and subsequently failed in attempts to appeal his extradition.
The Devastating Attack
The three-day Mumbai attacks targeted key locations including hotels, a train station, and a Jewish institution. Of the ten terrorists involved, only one, Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive; he was executed on November 21, 2012.