Tahawwur Hussain Rana's Extradition: A justice milestone for 26/11

Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who is being extradited to India from the US, will definitely get convicted in the country possibly with a death sentence for his involvement in the dastardly terrorist act, former home secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai said on Thursday.

He said Rana was an associate of David Colemon Headley, who played a much significant role in the 26/11 attacks.

"Rana was the person who set up the immigration office (of his firm) in Mumbai in which David Headley was given the job and then he got a visa to come to India. The cover for Headley was provided by Rana. So, he and Headley were very close and they knew what was happening. So that is something which his interrogation in India will bring out and what Headley had told him," Pillai told PTI Videos.

He said Rana was not the person who did the survey of the Taj hotel and other places where the terrorists will land.

"All that was done by David Headley. He was the person who came to India, then went to Pakistan and shared all the information (to terrorists in Pakistan). But as a co-conspirator, Rana will definitely get convicted in India and possibly (get) a death sentence or 10 years or more," said Pillai, who took over as the home secretary barely six months after the deadliest terror strike.

On Pakistan's role in 26/11 terror attacks, he said that link has already been established during the NIA (National Investigation Agency) investigation and "we had the other accused who were there in Pakistan against whom warrants have been issued but not executed by Pakistan".

"So, that link was very clearly established initially with some cooperation from Pakistan. But subsequently Pakistan has been stonewalling the entire investigation. They didn't try them (accused) in Pakistan either and did not hand them to us for trial in India," the former home secretary said.

Another former home secretary and former Union minister R K Singh said Rana's extradition is a very big achievement for the country.

He said this extradition is a message to other terrorists that "if you go somewhere and attack a country, that doesn't mean that you can stay in any other country".

"You will have to face justice in the nation where you did terror activities. It is important that such a message go to terrorists," Singh said.

He said Rana's testimony will help in getting details which are not known to Indian authorities.

"We may get more information so that we can catch more people or pinpoint them who are in Pakistan. The whole planning, conceptualisation of this attack was done in Pakistan, by Pakistan's deep state. Deep state meaning Army, ISI (Pakistani spy agency) etc. They all planned it, trained people, gave them arms and launched them.

"At a time when the attack was going on, they gave direction from there. Minute-to- minute direction used to come from there as to what needs to be done. We know who all were doing it? They were LeT People," said Singh, now a BJP leader.

The 64-year-old Pakistan-origin Canadian national Rana was lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.

Singh said the country needs to focus on another issue as to how both Rana and Headley were given visas for visiting India every time.

"One other issue on which we have to focus is that Tahawwur Rana came to India so many times. Headley came to India many times. How did they get the visa every time? We will have to check it. Whether his sympathisers or ISI agents are here or not, who facilitated it? This has to be found out. Whether they (Rana and Headley) had any local link here? This has to be found out. His extradition and interrogation would help in getting this information," Singh said.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in Patna said that ever since Narendra Modi became the prime minister, a strict vigil has been kept on traitors of the nation.

"Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah, terrorism is nearly wiped out from India. Strong action has been taken against the traitors in the last 14 years. No one has been spared," Rai said.