India to seek Headley`s extradition

Ajay Kaul
Washington, Apr 10 (PTI) Determined to seek the
extradition of Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman
Headley and access to him, India will raise the issue with US
at the official-level during Prime Minister of India Manmohan
Singh's four-day visit here.
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, who is
accompanying the Prime Minister, will raise the issue during
his meeting with his counterpart Gen (Retd) James Jones.
"We will keep pushing...This will be one of the
issues...we will use every occasion to seek access (to David
Headley)," sources said.
New Delhi's preference is extradition of the LeT
operative as the crime was committed in India, they said.
However, if it takes some time then India would like
to have direct access to him through legal process so that it
(the information provided by Headley) is admissible in courts
in India, the sources said.
It was not certain whether Singh will raise the issue
during his meeting with President Barack Obama at the Blair
House here on Sunday.
Singh is here to attend the two-day Nuclear Summit
beginning Monday.
India wants to interrogate David Coleman Headley, who
has confessed to plotting the Mumbai carnage, to unravel the
entire conspiracy.
Headley had last month pleaded guilty to all terror
charges before a US court on March 18.
49-year-old Headley, who faces six counts of
conspiracy involving bombing public places in India, murdering
and maiming persons in India and providing material support to
foreign terrorist plots and LeT; and six counts of aiding and
abetting the murder of US citizens in India, could have been
sentenced to death if convicted.
After pleading guilty, he will now get a maximum
punishment of life imprisonment. PTI