"We welcome decision of American legal process": EAM on Tahawwur Rana extradition

New Delhi [India], April 9 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday welcomed the US Supreme Court's decision to extradite Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, to India.
Talking at the CNN News 18 Rising Bharat Summit 2025, he said, "There's nothing really new that I can say on the Tahawwur Rana issue. Obviously, we welcome the decision of the American legal process."
Rana is likely to be extradited to India in the next 24 or 48 hours and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take custody of him upon arrival.
The comments came as the United States (US) Supreme Court rejected the plea of Tahawwur Rana -- accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks -- seeking a stay on his extradition to India.
"The application for stay addressed to The Chief Justice and referred to the Court is denied," the SC order dated Monday, April 7, 2025, stated.

In conversation with @Zakka_Jacob at @CNNnews18 #RisingBharatSummit2025.

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— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 9, 2025

Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national, was convicted in the US for the banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives and providing material support to the group responsible for the Mumbai attacks that killed over 174 people.
The Indian government has been seeking his extradition for years, and the US Supreme Court's recent decision has paved the way for his transfer to India.
Rana's extradition marks a significant step in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
When asked about the situation in Balochistan, Jaishankar expressed his concern and said, "On the Balochistan issue, I don't want to say anything. There is clearly a very disturbed situation there. Their people are suffering. If I say something, there will be finger-pointing."
Balochistan faces a troubling trend of human rights abuses, where individuals are targeted, abducted, and subjected to severe suffering without fair legal processes.
The Baloch community continues to face profound hardship, as stated by several human rights groups, yet the international community often overlooks their situation. Attempts to tackle these violations have been minimal, leaving the Baloch populace exposed and their fundamental rights persistently infringed upon without sufficient international action or support.
Jaishankar further said that Pakistan itself proudly admits to conducting terrorist activities in India. He added that the nation is consumed by the terrorism industry it had started.
"I don't have to say, it is visible. Even they say it. It is not like I am making an accusation and everyone in Pakistan is saying no, it is completely untrue. You have people in Pakistan, who openly declare that they are doing terrorist activities in India. So, this is not an argument. It is not a hypothesis. It is something they proudly claim. So, all sensible people have maintained that if you start a terrorism industry, you will be consumed by it. It is exactly what we are seeing today in Pakistan," he said. (ANI)