Canada is considering revoking the citizenship of Tahawwur Rana, a key figure in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India.
Canada is mulling to revoke the citizenship of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack plotter Tahawwur Rana ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s India visit, reports quoted Global Times. Rana – the mastermind of the attacks – was extradited to India in August last year, 17 years after the deadly attack. Rana was handed over to Indian officials in Los Angeles. During his interrogation upon being extradited to India, Rana revealed about his deep-rooted ties with Pakistan’s military and intelligence apparatus. He also admitted to his critical support in 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Now, the development has come ahead of Canadian PM Mark Carney’s scheduled to travel to India on February 26, with the aim of “expanding” ties with India and building new partnerships in defence, energy and AI.
Carney To Visit Mumbai First, Then New Delhi
Carney will first visit Mumbai, then New Delhi, India, where he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a press release issued by the office of the Prime Minister of Canada said.
“The leaders will focus on elevating and expanding the Canada-India relationship, with ambitious new partnerships in trade, energy, technology and artificial intelligence (AI), talent and culture, and defence,” it said.
Carney will meet with business leaders to identify investment opportunities in Canada and create new partnerships between businesses in both nations, it added.
In 2024, India was Canada’s seventh-largest goods and services trading partner, with two-way trade coming to USD 30.8 billion.
At last year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit, Canada and India agreed to formally launch negotiations for an ambitious Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that will more than double the two-way trade to USD 70 billion by 2030.
India-Canada Relations Hit Rock Bottom During Trudeau’s Tenure
The India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India had dismissed Trudeau’s accusation as “absurd”.
In October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
