PM Modi Meeting With Trump, Gabbard Raises Hope For 26/11 Accused Tahawwur Rana's Extradition

Indian investigative agencies are anticipating a favourable decision soon from the newly elected US government on the extradition of Rana to India.

By Gautam Debroy

New Delhi: Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met American intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard in the US, security experts in India said the interaction would further speed up India’s attempt to extradite 2008 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana.

Indian investigative agencies are anticipating a favourable decision soon from the newly elected US government on the extradition of Rana to India. “We can expect that Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump, US intel chief Tulsi Gabbard would certainly speed up the process of Tahawwur Rana’s extradition,” said renowned security expert and former director general of Border Security Force Prakash Singh.

He said during his (Modi’s) meeting with the US delegation, the Prime Minister would certainly discuss critical issues related to the Indo-US ties. “This visit would further strengthen the relationship between the two countries,” said Singh.

Immediately after assuming office in the White House, Trump passed an executive order to deport all illegal migrants from India. Under the process, 104 Indian nationals were deported from the US recently, which of course raised widespread reactions from across the country. Modi immediately after arriving in Washington DC on Thursday morning met Gabbard before his bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump. He is also slated to meet tech billionaire Elon Musk.

The US Supreme Court, on January 21 had rejected 63-year-old Rana’s review petition against his extradition. Later. the US State Department said that it is currently evaluating the next steps regarding Rana’s extradition to India. “In view of the recent Supreme Court decision, and consistent with applicable US law, the Department of State is currently evaluating next steps in the case. We have long supported India’s efforts to ensure the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks face justice,” a statement from the US State Department had stated.

Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman is accused of playing a key role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which killed 174 people, including 20 security personnel and 26 foreigners. More than 300 others were injured in the terror attacks at multiple locations including The Taj Hotel in Mumbai. Rana was also a close accomplice of David Coleman Headley alias Dawood Gilani, a Pakistani-origin US citizen who had done reconnaissance of the potential targets of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been trying for early extradition of Rana from the US.

Following the US court's verdict, India is in touch with US authorities to work on the logistics of the surrender of Rana as he has 'exhausted all legal avenues' in the US. “On the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, from recent developments, you would be aware that Rana has exhausted all legal avenues in the United States with the US Supreme Court also dismissing his appeal, and therefore we are now in touch with US authorities to work on the logistics of his surrender to Indian authorities,” said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Rana’s extradition from the US. Misri was briefing ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US. Modi and US President Trump would hold bilateral meetings in both restricted and delegation-level formats, with senior US administrators expected to meet Modi during the visit.

Talking to this correspondent, geo-political expert, Chandan Nandy said that this visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to US assumes much more significance as far as India’s security issues and relation between the new US government is concerned. “This visit would certainly boost India’s fight against Islamic as well as Khalistani terrorism while both the countries share the same opinion as far as the fight against Islamic terrorism is concerned,” said Nandy. Modi is also likely to raise the issue of government supported atrocities on the minorities especially Hindus in Bangladesh, Nandy said.