By IANS,
Chicago: Discussions between the US and India on providing New Delhi access to key 26/11 Mumbai attack plotter David Coleman Headley under his plea bargain are “still on track”, according to his lawyer.
“Those discussions (of providing Indian investigators access to Headley) are going on between our government and the Indian government at this time,” lawyer John Theis said. “It is part of the plea agreement that Headley would cooperate with Indian authorities.”
“Discussions to provide Indian authorities with access to Headley are still on track,” he said though it may still be a couple of weeks before any more substantive details become available.
The plea bargain that Headley had struck with the US department of justice in confessing his role in the Mumbai attacks to avoid the death penalty “does anticipate Headley’s cooperation with US and Indian authorities,” he said.
As to when and where India will be provided access, Theis said: “Those kind of discussions will happen without the media knowing the specifics of time and place”.
But “I would expect to be present anytime that my client is interviewed by law enforcement officials, be it from India, US or any other country,” he added.
Under the plea agreement if the Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) operative Headley “should breach this cooperation agreement and if the government, at its sole discretion, voids such agreement, the government will no longer be bound by its decision not to seek the death penalty.”
The US department of justice had waived the death penalty for Headley on the condition that he continued to cooperate.
The US has said it is working “at the highest level” to provide India access to Headley, who had scouted targets for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks during his several trips to India.
US President Barack Obama assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during Singh’s recent visit to the US that India would get access to Headley.