David Headley Trial in Chicago Court

Approximately166 people, including a Rabbi of the US origin, Gavriel Noah Holtzberg, and his wife Rivka, were killed in the Mumbai attacks of November 2008. The relatives of this Jewish couple filed the case of the murder of their dear ones in a Chicago court. In addition to Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the US court summoned various people including the incumbent and former heads of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Among them, the US citizen of Pakistani origin David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana are particularly mentionable. Both are in the custody of the US officials since the end of November 2009 on the charge that they were planning terrorism act in Denmark after publication of caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper. Both are in their 50s. Tahawwur is Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin. He spends most of his time in Chicago and is known as a businessman.
Smuggling of Narcotics
The matter of David Coleman is, however, different. David, who was born to a former Pakistani diplomat and US mother, was named as Dawood Gilani at the time of his birth. He changed his name to David Coleman Headley during his visit to Mumbai in 2006. His deeds were not good since the beginning.
He has been an informer in the US Drug Enforcement Administration in 1990s, where got addicted to the heroin and he also remained involved in the smuggling of narcotics. Because of his skill of sweet talk and cleverness, he is expert in getting close to any organization or agency. In addition to Pakistani agencies, he also hoodwinked some terrorist organizations. He has also been playing games of cleverness in his family life. He kept many wives at the same time and has been defrauding them so much so that his own children too have not been safe from his craftiness.
Implement Plan of Attacks
Headley is the start witness in the case of the Jewish couple who were killed in the Mumbai tragedy and is trying to also hoodwink the court by narrating his tittle-tattles. Sometimes his tales seems to be a scene of any thriller movie, e.g., he stated that to implement the plan of attacks, in 2006 he had gone to Mumbai where he used to conduct surveillance of the port onboard speedboats s that he could find a suitable place for landing of the attackers. He developed acquaintance with the top social circles of the city to avoid his detection by the agencies. He particularly developed relations with the people of film industry, which proved to be a good cover. Headley claimed that the Mumbai attacks were result of collaboration between the ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba and he has been in contact with Major Iqbal of the ISI in this regard. A GPS devise was used for selection of a suitable target and in addition to Taj Mahal Hotel, the headquarters of Shiv Sena was also paid special attention.
As they say that falsehood has no feet, Headley became contradictory during the next day court proceedings in spite of all preparations and sketching of a scene. When he faced cross-questioning on his statement of accusing the ISI, his tongue slipped and he said: "I cannot say something with certain." When the question was asked with further explanation whether he wants to say that the ISI head or its senior leadership was not involved in this incident? Headley at once replied: "Yes, sir." This statement of Headley is very close to the stance of Pakistan. Islamabad has been saying from the very first day that the Mumbai tragedy had not support of the ISI or any other government agencies in any way, if some nonstate actors were involved, nothing could be said.
Adventurism and Falsehood
The worthlessness of the mentioned case being heard by a US court is also being felt by the US media. Questions are being raised about the double, triple rather four-tier personality of Headley that the adventurism and falsehood of such an untrustworthy person cannot be allowed to influence the Pakistan-US relations. According to reports of The Washington Post and Newsweek, this case can have long-term impact on the already strained relations between Pakistan and the United States.
Headley also left no stone unturned in implicating his childhood friend Tahawwur Rana. He accused him of providing him (Headley) a cover, delivering messages and providing logistic support for actions in Mumbai and Copenhagen. It is vigorous effort of Headley to buy freedom and life for himself by scarifying his childhood friend but the circumstances are not on his side. If a thief acts for 100 days, the housemaster also has one day to catch him. It seems from the situation that now craftiness would not work for him and he would definitely meet his fate.

India Must Continue Efforts To Bring Conspirator Headley to Country

Finally, the US national of Pakistani origin David Coleman Headley admitted to the crime of his involvement in the conspiracy of the Mumbai attack before a Chicago-based court. Even before his admission to the crime, news reports has started emanating about it due to which the entire world had got to know that a deal was struck between him and the US Government.

According to it, if he divulges to the US Administration all information about the Mumbai strikes and other terrorist activities linked with it then he will not be awarded capital punishment. Simultaneously the United States announced its decision that Headley will not be handed over to India and Indian agencies can only interrogate him.

Activities in Pakistan
It clearly manifests that the US Administration, for special reasons, is trying to save him. Headley has been facing the charge that he acted as a double agent between the US Administration and the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiyiba. Earlier, he was once apprehended for smuggling heroin from Pakistan to the United States. He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on admission to the crime. He was subsequently set free to resume his activities in Pakistan.

The situation in respect of Headley is so complex that it is hard to readily perceive it. Yet, it has once again raised finger to the US tactics. It is intriguing to note a country leading the global war on terror is adopting double standards on terrorism.

Tackling Terrorism
The state of affairs of the US Administration by and large is such that while it feels the heat of fire when it engulfs its own house, but when some other house is set ablaze then it looks to it as if some sport is being played. The way the United States has saved a person from going to the gallows who led the conspirators of the Mumbai attack leaving more than 166 people dead and wounding hundred others and the way it exonerated him by making him confess to the crime and refusing to hand him over to India, the US Administration can be termed a major culprit.

The calculations of the US Administration to tackle terrorism are such that in order to restrain Al-Qa'ida leaders it is securing the support of Pakistan which intelligence agencies are in collusion with the terrorist organization for carrying out terrorist activities in India, but it is turning a blind eye to it. The United States will realize all this only when the heat of terrorism is once again felt by its own country in some form or the other. Even as an attempt has been made to save a dangerous conspirator like Headley, it does not realize that he can continue to be a cause of headache for itself also because seven US nationals were also killed in the Mumbai mayhem.

If it had not happened then the mindset of the US Administration would not have been confined to saving Headley and instead he would have been set free after a brief term of imprisonment. Now, if Headley is given the death sentence then the chief reason behind it would be the killing of some US nationals in the Mumbai attack.

Conspiracy Against Mumbai Attacks
In the wake of Headley's admission to the crime, the Pakistani Government also stands exposed, for until now Pakistan has been harping on its stand that the Mumbai attackers were not its nationals or the conspiracy for the Mumbai attacks was not hatched in Pakistan. It has come to the fore that Headley had been frequently visiting India with a view to survey the spots that were to be targeted by the Lashkar-e-Taiyiba. He had, in fact, taken a video footage of those locations. He has been frequenting Pakistan in order to feed intelligence inputs to Pakistan-based terrorists.

It should be clear to the Indian Government from the sequence of events that instead of depending on others to counter terrorism it should gear up on its own. It would be futile to carry out war on terror in such a way. We feel that India should not relax its endeavors on the issue of bringing Headley to the country because he is the prime accused for India, and not the United States.