FOR true to type, Washington offered an unprecedented level of sympathy and cooperation to Indian authorities probing the Mumbai terror case last year. The ghastly attacks killed more than 166 people including six Americans. Besides working jointly on terror front the US officials also promised that it will let India prosecute all those behind the catastrophic strike. But strangely enough, more than a year has passed yet there is no favourable response from US in sight. In wanton disregard of its earlier assurances the US has neither pressed Pakistan to handover all the Mumbai masterminds to India nor allowed any Indian official to interrogate Headley or Rana- the prize catches-either in New Delhi or Washington.

There is a realisation that the US is not as much eager to assuage the feelings of India as to help Pakistan vis-à-vis accepting their ‘assistance’ to nab Taliban from Afghan border. Had the US been sincere it could have easily allowed Indian officials to interrogate David Coleman Headley and pressed Pakistan to handover all Mumbai attack conspiracy hatchers to India for prosecution. It is possible that they must have struck a deal with Pak to seek their enhanced assistance in tracking down the Taliban and Al Qaeda activists giving fierce fight to its forces in Afghanistan.

David Coleman Headley, a 49-year-old US national, was one of the two suspects arrested earlier this month by FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at Chicago’s International Airport before he boarded a flight to Philadelphia.

He was allegedly planning to travel to Pakistan to meet terrorists, including the fugitive Ilyas Kashmiri with an intention to target India. Headley, along with his partner, a Pakistani-Canadian named Tahawwur Hussain Rana, was also hatching a plan to attack the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of Prophet Mohammed in 2005.

According to FBI reports Headley travelled widely through India with a video camera posing as an American Jew. After each surveillance mission, they allege, he took a circuitous route to Pakistan to brief his Lashkar handlers and turn over the tapes before heading back home to Chicago. The man, David Coleman Headley, was recently charged with being a longtime clandestine operative for Lashkar-e-Taiba and another Pakistan-based militant group affiliated with Al Qaeda.

Though US hailed the arrest of the two men, including an American, by the FBI in connection with a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) plot to launch terror attacks in India and stressed the commitment of the two countries to bring terrorists to justice yet it is neither ready to extradite them to India nor allow New Delhi officials to question them face to face. Rumours are abuzz that Headley is a US “double agent” propped up by American Intelligence Agencies.

As expected, the US is still playing a double game with India. On the one hand it is assuring cooperation in war against terrorism while on the other its citizens are shaping terror attacks supposedly at the behest of its intelligence agencies. As a matter of fact, five more US nationals have been arrested in Pakistan on terror charges. During interrogation they have confessed that they were on a mission to destabilise India. The participation of more and more US nationals gives enough indication that US federal agencies have an indirect role in terror events.

No doubt. a team of FBI officials was recently in India to brief Indian investigating agencies on the findings of their probe with regard to the Headley-Rana case. The State Department described the visit of FBI team as a commitment of President Barack Obama to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the Indian leader’s recent visit to US to cooperate closely on the case.

Why the Americans wouldn’t allow Headley to be directly interrogated by Indian officials rather than acting to brief Indians on what Headley has revealed to them is worth pondering over. This cover up is simply to befool people of India and Indian officials by thus. Perhaps the US doesn’t want India to compete in all fields particularly economy. Reports are emanating that Headley is a “CIA Agent” assigned the task of destabilising India. It was he who planned the terror attacks in Mumbai on 26.11.2008, which benefitted both Israel and USA as India and Pakistan purchased large quantities of weapons from them after that.

It is an irony that despite the US’s cold response the Indian government has stepped in to say there was “very good cooperation” with US agencies and that the Indian intelligence agencies were in touch with them. As things are looking up, the Indian government should demand full access to both accused from the US government. The fact can’t be overlooked that in the past the US had betrayed many countries and their leaders to safeguard its interests. It encouraged Saudis to increase their oil production to create economic downturn in the Russian federation.

It is unfortunate that despite Headley’s hand in Mumbai attacks and close proximity to terrorists US is not taking Indian officials into confidence. Any cooperation in the near future appears a distinct possibility.

Apparently, India has to learn to protect itself. First and foremost India has to take all meaningful steps to crush terrorism with power and ruthless determination on its own. Half hearted steps and ahimsa will not help. The point is not whether Headley, Gilani or some other barbarian is a CIA agent or not! The point is we must be ready to neutralise terrorists and meet force with force? So we should start taking a hard look at ourselves, only then will things start improving!
SUSHIL VAKIL
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