India to seek Headley questioning for 26/11

VITAL Delhi wants access to terrorist’s wife and associate Rana

With David Coleman Headley’s sentencing out of the way, India will once again start prodding US authorities for vital information and evidence in the 26/11 case.

The Pakistani-American — who had pleaded guilty to being the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s recce man in Mumbai ahead of the 2008 attack that killed 166 people — was handed a 35-year sentence by a Chicago court on Thursday.

“We were informally asked to wait till the sentencing. With Headley behind bars, we will renew our efforts to question his wife Shazia and business associates of Tahawwur Huss-ain Rana. The US authorities can also give us their statements. India has sought these under the mutual legal assistance treaty,” a home ministry official said Friday.

Rana — a Pakistani-Canadian who gave Headley the cover of his immigration business during his travels to India — is serving 14 years in jail. India is hope- ful of getting him extradited to India, so he can face trial.

“As far as the extradition of Headley and Rana is concerned, the US can give the argument that it entered into a plea bargain with Headley that bars his extradition. But in Rana’s case, there is no such condition,” said an NIA official.

Sources said there were two reasons the evidence was being held back. First, one can’t be compelled to provide self-incriminating evidence, which might be the case with some statements. But with the sentencing over, it’s a different matter now. Second, the process for internal clearances in the US is still on.