New Delhi, April 17 Slamming Islamabad's attempts to distance itself from Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India on Thursday said that no matter how hard Pakistan tries, its reputation as the epicentre of global terrorism will not diminish.
Soon after Rana was successfully extradited to India from the United States last week, the Pakistan Foreign Office (PFO) had stated that the Mumbai attacks plotter has not renewed his Pakistani-origin documents for the last two decades and should be treated only as a Canadian national.
"Pakistan may try very hard, but its reputation as the epicentre of global terrorism will not diminish," said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) at a regular media briefing on Thursday.
"The extradition of Rana is a reminder yet again to Pakistan that it needs to act, to bring to justice other perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, whom it continues to shield," he added.
Rana is believed to have had close ties with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley, or Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co conspirators, to carry out the devastating terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. A total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 were injured in the deadly attacks.
Charges against 64-year-old Rana include criminal conspiracy, waging war against India, murder, forgery, and violations under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Facing global ignominy yet again, Pakistan began making unsuccessful attempts to de-link itself from Rana - convicted in the US for his links to Lashkar-e-Taiba - soon after his extradition to India.
"On the Tahawwur Rana issue, we have conveyed our position regarding his Canadian nationality. As far as our record indicates, he did not even apply for renewal for his Pakistani origin documents for the last two decades. I reiterate that position," said Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesperson for the Pakistan Foreign Office (PFO), during a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on April 10.
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