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By saying this, Pakistan is distancing itself from the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused’s act and also bringing the Canadian angle to provoke Ottawa to speak up as the US very smoothly extradited Rana to India
26/11 plotter Tahawwur Hussain Rana with NIA officials after his extradition in New Delhi. (Image: Sourced)
Tahawwur Rana’s Canadian citizenship is in the news. Pakistan’s foreign ministry also attempted to distance itself from Rana and tried to create an issue around the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused’s extradition from the United States to India.
Responding to a question during a press briefing, Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, Shafqat Ali Khan, said Rana had not attempted to renew his Pakistani citizenship. “Tahawwur Rana has not renewed his Pakistani documents in the last two decades. His Canadian nationality is very clear,” he stated.
By saying this, Pakistan is distancing itself from Rana’s act and also bringing the Canadian angle to provoke Ottawa to speak up as the US very smoothly extradited the terror accused to India. But Canada’s say does not hold much value anymore, say sources. Islamabad is distancing itself as Rana’s links to the Pakistan army, as well as the ISI, are an open secret. Islamabad fears Rana could spill the beans on Pakistan’s role in conspiring in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks of 2008.
Since then, the debate over Rana’s Canadian citizenship has started. During Joe Biden’s tenure as US President, many junior-ranking officials who were not directly involved in the extradition process were of the view that Canada could object to Rana’s extradition. They also wanted this discussion to be a part of the discourse. Now also, attempts are being made to bring “Canada” into the picture by Pakistan and the allied ecosystem.
Since the very beginning, America, at a government level, was in favour of sending Rana to India. At the request of the Indian government, Rana was arrested, and his extradition proceedings happened despite his being a Canadian citizen. This also reflects upon how the US is little concerned about Canada’s say as far as cases like Rana’s are concerned. The US has very comfortably extradited Canadian citizen Rana to India.
This also reflects upon the dip in the relationship between the two neighbouring countries. Now, since there is no provision for capital punishment in Canada and given the terror act of Rana, he could be given the death penalty by Indian courts. So Pakistan and allied ecosystems wanted to create trouble by mentioning Rana’s Canadian citizenship.
Rana has been extradited from the United States, where he was already convicted in 2011 for supporting terrorism. He could now face far more severe consequences, including the death penalty. Canada has a strong position against capital punishment in Ottawa, so Rana’s lawyer could use this as grounds in the future to oppose his death penalty. But experts say since Rana has been extradited from the United States, and India and the US have the provision of capital punishment, India should not have much issue executing the death penalty in this case if the court pronounces it. And Canada could speak up, but its objection won’t hold much value as he has been extradited from the US. In the past, there are instances where Ottawa has spoken up against capital punishment given to its citizens.
So what does US law say about the death penalty?
States: 27 states have the death penalty on the books, meaning it’s a legally authorised punishment for certain crimes.
Federal: The federal government can also seek the death penalty for specific federal crimes.
Military: The US military has the authority to impose the death penalty in certain cases.
Abolition: 23 states and the District of Columbia have abolished the death penalty.
Moratoriums: Some states that have the death penalty on the books may have a moratorium (temporary suspension) on executions, often due to a governor’s decision.
Federal moratorium: The federal government has a limited number of death row inmates and has recently seen a decrease in the number of federal executions.
