People's Democracy

Stop Pussyfooting on Headley Case

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on March 20, 2010.

IT is six months since David Headley was arrested by the US authorities for his role in terrorist related activities. The plea bargain struck by David Headley in a US court has seen him pleading guilty to all twelve charges which include complicity in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.

Despite all these, the Indian authorities have been denied access to him. On the other hand, the Indian government allowed the FBI to interrogate Ajmal Kasab in Mumbai.

It has been established that Headley has been an agent for the Drug Enforcement Authority (DEA) of the United States. It is also a fact that he had visited Mumbai both before and after the terrorist attack in 2008. The attitude of the US authorities suggests that he has been a double-agent. It is inexplicable therefore why the UPA government is pussyfooting around the issue with the US administration.

The UPA government is more concerned about justifying the US stance. If access cannot be given to Headley as the issue has already gone to court, why was access not granted earlier when the Indian team was sent to the United States?

The home minister knows very well that extradition is ruled out by the plea bargain. Yet, he declares, he is prepared to be patient. The Manmohan Singh government has once again shown how unequal the US-India relationship is. The US is only concerned about its Af-Pak Strategy. It is not willing to cooperate in an investigation concerning a prime accused of the Mumbai terror attack. Yet the FBI and the CIA have access to all our intelligence and security related material and personnel. The least that the government of India can do is to demand immediate access to Headley. The US needs to be told that cooperation has to be reciprocal.