Time has come for justice after 17 years: Maulana Khalid Rasheed welcomes Tahawwur Rana's extradition

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 11 (ANI): All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Maulana Khalid Rasheed of Firangi Mahal on Friday welcomed the extradition of terror accused Tahawwur Rana, saying that "time has come for justice".
He said that the time has come for the victims, who were killed and injured in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to get justice after 17 years of "long wait".
"After a long wait of 17 years, the time has come for justice for all those who were killed and injured in the attack. At that time, we had also issued a fatwa against terrorism and also prayed for all the people. Even today, we say that such incidents are very wrong, and now the time has come for all those victims to get justice," Rasheed said.
As the terror accused Tahawwur Rana has been arrested, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said this morning that further action could be taken to reveal the "real" mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
He said that the 26/11 accused Rana could reveal the mastermind behind the incident and expose the person who directed him to commit such an act. Pawar emphasised the importance of Rana's apprehension in shedding light on the masterminds and motives behind the devastating incident.
"During the 26/11 attacks, we all were in Mumbai, it was a very serious incident. We tried to find who was the exact mastermind behind the incident ... Now, we have caught this person (Tahawwur Rana), and he can reveal who is the real mastermind behind the incident, who directed him to commit such an act. After getting all this information, we can take further action," Pawar told reporters here.
He expressed optimism that Rana's interrogation would provide crucial insights into the orchestration of the attacks, including the individuals who directed him and the motives behind the devastation.
The United States Department of Justice has termed the extradition of convicted terrorist Tahawwur Hussain Rana as "a critical step" toward seeking justice for the victims of the 26/11 heinous Mumbai terror attacks.
"Rana's extradition is a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacks," the Department of Justice said in a statement dated April 10, 2025.
Rana, 64, a Canadian citizen and native of Pakistan was extradited to stand trial in India on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai the DoJ statement said.
He is charged with numerous offences, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery, related to his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks by Laskhar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), a designated terrorist organization.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) successfully secured the extradition of Rana after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice. According to the NIA, Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty for his extradition. The extradition finally came through after Rana exhausted all legal avenues to stay the move.
Rana was brought to India late on April 10 and produced before a special NIA court, which sent Rana to 18 days of NIA custody. (ANI)