The die is cast. The US Supreme Court has refused the final appeal of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana for a stay on his extradition to India. It has been more than 23 years, keeping in mind that he was possibly being tracked since 2002. It is the case of a man who stayed in the shadows, even while being linked closely to David Headley who was working directly under the Lashkar-e-Tayyba (LeT) towards giving effect to 26/11. Neither were arrested till well after 26/11.

These are the bare facts. Rana studied in the Pakistan army’s elite Hassan Abdal Cadet School together with Headley and eventually became a military doctor. Both were involved in narcotics trafficking from the tribal areas, where Rana’s military documents enabled easy movement. Why he left Pakistan for Canada in 1997 is unclear and opens the possibility that he was working undercover for Pakistan’s intelligence from the outset. Court documents show that Headley was comfortably ensconced in his house, even when he was an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Authority (DEA) in 1997 after being twice arrested for selling drugs from Pakistan. He continued to be sent to Pakistan by the DEA for intel on drug barons, even as he met with LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and began training with them.........

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