New Delhi: The Union government is trying to extradite the key conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack. 

In the Lok Sabha, minister of state for foreign affairs VK Singh said that a team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) went to the United States last month to discuss the issue. The government has also said that multiple meetings and teleconferences have been conducted, followed by the NIA team visit. Now, the NIA team will visit the US once again in February, regarding access to David Headley.

The government is hopeful to get access to Tahawwur Rana and Headley respectively. 

“Government of India has engaged with relevant US authorities, under terms of the India-US Extradition Treaty of 1997, for the extradition of US-based individuals for their role in the 26/11/2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai. These consultations have been held by means of meetings/visits and teleconferences. Most recently, a team from the National Investigation Agency visited the US on 13-15 December 2018 for discussion with the US authorities,” Singh said in the Parliament.

“A six-member NIA team went to the US to meet security officials. They will again go to the United States in February and the US government is very positive about the possibility of access to Headley and the extradition of Rana,” a senior government official said.

“The United States has expressed its commitment towards working with its international partners to identify and bring to justice those responsible for the 26/11/2008 Mumbai attack. During the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on 06 September 2018, both sides called on Pakistan to bring to justice expeditiously the perpetrators of the Mumbai, Pathankot, Uri, and other cross-border terrorist attacks,” Singh said.

Headley identified targets for 26/11 attacks after the reccee, in which killed 168 people. Headley has already said that Pakistan's Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is involved in the attack. The court has already pronounced a statement of imprisonment for 35 years to Headley and 14 years to Rana.