#TheHindu #Editorial Questions after the deposition

February 11, 2016    

Details from the ongoing deposition of David Coleman Headley have brought back dark memories for India, not just of the horror of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but also of the cold-blooded planning that went into the massacre of over 160 men, women and children. It is certainly important that the Mumbai court has been able to record the testimony of Headley, and make part of Indian court records all that he had told a court in the United States several years ago. The testimony has not yet revealed much that wasn’t in the court records, or in the testimony he gave before National Investigation Agency officials in 2010. Even so, it will be significant in the trial of Abu Jundal as well as in a future trial of Hafiz Saeed and any of the masterminds in the unlikely event of Pakistan making them available to India. Although the move from the U.S. authorities to arrange the deposition of Headley for the Mumbai court now hearing the 26/11 conspiracy case has come late, it is still no less welcome. The specifics of how Headley was sent to India, his contacts with the Lashkar-e-Taiba leadership and the Inter-Services Intelligence officers he names for having given him espionage training, and even perhaps locals in India who may have colluded with him, are all vital to the case, and it is hoped that prosecutors will extract more information from Headley in the coming days.

Clearly, the deposition from Headley, who expects a full judicial pardon in exchange for giving it, comes at a cost that must be counted. It has meant that India gives up all chances of bringing the self-confessed terror planner, who scoped out the locations to be targeted as well as the entry and possible exit points for the LeT terrorists. It also means that India has not questioned the delay from the U.S., and prosecutors may not be able to fill the glaring gaps in their understanding of Headley’s background that have been raised: including his double role as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration informant, the cover for his frequent visits to India, including one after the 26/11 attacks, and the reasons his links with Pakistani military officials were not investigated by the U.S. This is why after the hearing is completed the government must be more forthcoming in explaining its decision to offer a pardon. The deal may have been the best of imperfect choices before India, but given the magnitude of the crime involved, the government must share the details. The spotlight on Headley should also convince Pakistan to fast-track its trial of the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks, perhaps even accepting a similar deposition from Headley in the case. Eventually, it is in the interest of India-Pakistan relations as well as justice for the victims of 26/11 that the trial in Pakistan is brought to a successful conclusion. If Headley’s deposition prompts that, the benefit will override all other concerns.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.

#TheHindu #Editorial Questions after the deposition 4.5 5 Yateendra sahu February 11, 2016 Details from the ongoing deposition of David Coleman Headley have brought back dark memories for India, not just of the horror of the 2008 ...


Related Post:

  • #TheHindu #Editorial A wave of awe and opportunity
    The detection of ripples in space-time, known as gravitational waves, here on Earth marks a watershed moment for astronomy and for science as a whole. The detection at once improves our understanding of the workings of the universe and, more importan… Read More
  • #TheHindu #Editorial Owning without interfering
    Promises are extremely easy to make for a politician. The problem, however, lies in delivering on them. Tougher still is to do so in a time-bound manner. The coming Union budget provides Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that one near-term opportunity to… Read More
  • #TheHindu #Editorial War and possible peace in Syria
    The agreement reached in Munich by major world powers, including the United States and Russia, to work towards a cessation of hostilities in Syria within a week is the most constructive step yet to find a political solution to the country’s civil war… Read More
  • #TheHindu #Editorial State overreach on the campus
    The Union government’s response to the recent developments at Jawaharlal Nehru University betrays a disquieting intent to create an atmosphere of fear amongst its students and teachers. The rationale for the police action was an event to mark the ann… Read More
  • #TheHindu #Editorial Conundrums for the Congress
    In West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry that will face Assembly elections in 2016, the Bharatiya Janata Party is relatively weak, but the political configuration in these States (and a Union Territory) will not make it any easier for… Read More
Load comments

No comments:

Post a Comment