BJP wants Chicago court order on Rana is challenged

New Delhi, Jun 11: BJP on Friday, June 10 said the government should ensure that the US prosecuting agencies challenge a Chicago court's acquittal of Tahawwur Rana of the charge of plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

The party sought to know if a deal was struck between American investigating agency FBI and Pakistan's ISI which led to Rana getting a clean chit on 26/11 attacks but convicted for helping terror group LeT.

BJP claimed it was "curious and odd" that though Rana has been found guilty of conspiracy with LeT, an internationally banned terrorist organisation, and involved in terrorist attack in Denmark, he was acquitted in 26/11.

The party wondered if all the prosecution evidence had been presented properly by FBI in the court and asked if the government of India ensured that the US prosecution agencies pursued it properly.

"The country is certainly entitled to know whether acquittal of Rana was part of a deal between FBI and ISI. This question is very critical because ISI was clearly in the dock.

Surely, the entire operation would not have been executed under the overall command of ISI''s Major Iqbal alone," BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

BJP maintained senior ISI officials as well as sections of the Pakistan military must have been involved. It insisted that this would have been exposed, causing serious embarrasment to ISI. However, the suspicion and apprehension of its involvement still exists, it added.

"We demand that government of India must properly examine the entire matter and ensure that as per US law an appeal is filed by the prosecution agencies against Rana," BJP said.

PTI