Maharashtra govt welcomes order on Tahawwur Rana

Welcoming the order of United States’ court paving way for extradition of Pakistani-Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, the Maharashtra government on Thursday said that it reaffirms India’s statement that Pakistan had a role to play in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Rana, one of the accused of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, is a friend of Lashkar-e-Taiba field agent David Coleman Headley, who played a key role in the 26/11 terror attacks.

Headley, who is in a prison, had deposed before a Mumbai special court via video-conference from an undisclosed location in the United States.

While Headley had made six trips to Mumbai – five before 26/11 and one after that, Dr Rana made three trips before the attacks.

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During the deposition, Headley, a Pakistani-American, had confirmed that Rana were batch-mates at Cadet College Hasan Abdal in Punjab Province but said the latter knew very little of his activities.

Dr Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian resident of Chicago, who is an immigration service businessman and a former military physician was held for plotting an attack on the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and has been sentenced for 14 years prison term.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, welcomed the decision of the US’ court. “Everybody knew that Pakistan had a hand behind the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

But with Rana's extradition to India, it will legally establish Pakistan's role behind the attack,” said Fadnavis, pointing out that the deposition of Headley had thrown light on various aspects of the attacks and provided crucial evidence against the role of Pakistan.

Fadnavis said it was the Narendra Modi government and NSA that took the initiative in these cases and had made representations to the United States authorities.