With extradition of Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley now ruled out after he pleaded guilty to terror charges, BJP on Friday said this was a loss but official access to India to question him would help prove to the world about Pakistan’s involvement in the Mumbai strikes.
“It (consequences of his pleading guilty before a US court) is a mixed bag. As we cannot get extradition, it is a loss. But, at the same time, we can get official access and can officially question him so our dossiers (against Pakistan) will be more weighty,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
He asserted that though Pakistan may ultimately dismiss Headley’s confessions as “mere papers” and not evidences, the involvement of the neighbouring country in the 26/11 terror attacks would be established more firmly and be “very clear” to the world community.
“Now the trial of Ajmal Kasab (lone surviving terrorist in the 26/11 case) is winding up. So, I think we can expect the result in that case also,” he said.
Javadekar took a dig at the UPA government for making a “unilateral offer” of foreign secretary-level talks to Pakistan inspite of its continued support to terror.
“The real test of India lies in how it deals with Pakistan because Pakistan has not changed a bit. It has not done anything, not taken any credible steps....Terror continues, infiltration is growing. Still government did a sudden U-turn and unilaterally offered talks,” he said.
This move had emboldened the Pakistani establishment, especially the ISI, to simultaneously do business with India and plot terror, Mr. Javadekar alleged.
He said it was ISI’s policy to inflict a thousand cuts and wound India.
Another BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the fact that Headley would not be extradited is a failure of Indian diplomacy.
“It sounds absurd that Headley would be available to India for investigation but not for trial. This is a complete failure of Indian diplomacy,” Mr. Rudy said.
“BJP would accept nothing less than Headley’s extradition for trial in Indian courts,” he added.
