Tahawwur Rana being brought to India in special flight: Sources
New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI): Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana is likely to be brought to India in a special flight on Thursday after all hurdles for his extradition were removed by the US, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
Rana, 64, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, was lodged in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles.
A multi-agency team has gone to the US and all paperwork and legal issues are being completed with US authorities to bring him to India, they said.
Rana is being brought to India after his last-ditch attempt to evade extradition failed as the US Supreme Court justices rejected his application.
"You are all aware that the US Supreme Court has rejected his plea. As far as extradition of Rana is concerned, at this point, I do not have an update," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We will provide you an update at an appropriate time," he said while replying to a question during his weekly media briefing.
Rana is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went into a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India's financial capital using the sea route in the Arabian Sea.
As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault that sent shockwaves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
In November 2012, Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman among the Pakistani group, was hanged to death in Yerawada Jail in Pune.
At a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House in February, President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved the extradition of a "very evil" man "to face justice" in India.
In his emergency application, Rana had sought a "stay of his extradition and surrender to India pending litigation (including exhaustion of all appeals) on the merits of his February 13 petition."
In that petition, Rana argued that his extradition to India violates United States law and the United Nations Convention Against Torture "because there are substantial grounds for believing that, if extradited to India, the petitioner will be in danger of being subjected to torture."
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Nishikant Dubey’s VIP-guarded family function in Gulmarg faces questions after Pahalgam attack
New Delhi: A private family function hosted by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in Gulmarg has raised concerns after a recent terror attack in Pahalgam. The function, held around 10 days ago to celebrate Dubey’s 25th wedding anniversary, was attended by politicians from different parties and was heavily guarded.
However, the timing and scale of the event are now being discussed within BJP circles, especially since it took place in a sensitive area like Jammu and Kashmir.
The terror attack in Pahalgam has shaken the region and led to renewed questions about how VIP events are handled in high-risk zones.
Although no direct connection has been established between the Gulmarg event and the attack, the stark contrast between the extravagant gathering and the tragic security lapse has heightened concerns within the BJP regarding the safety of VIP movements and high-profile events in the valley.
Meanwhile, following the attack, the BJP has decided to pause its internal elections. These elections were supposed to choose new state-level presidents in key states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, and later, a new national president. But with the current tense atmosphere, party sources say these plans have been pushed back, and no new leadership announcements will be made for now.
