No decision on giving India direct access to Headley: US

NEW DELHI - Amid reports of India sending investigators to quiz David Coleman Headley, the US Tuesday said no decision had been taken to give New Delhi “direct access” to the Pakistani-American terror suspect who has confessed his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike.

Four days after US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake said here that Indian investigators would have access to Headley, Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer clarified the position and said “no decision on direct access for India to David Headley has been made”.

The envoy stressed that the US was committed to full information sharing with India, but made it clear that the two sides were still working on the modalities of such cooperation.

“As the assistant secretary indicated, the US is committed to full information sharing in our counter terror partnership, Roemer said in a statement.

In fact in this case we have provided substantial information to the government of India and we will continue to do so. However, no decision on direct access for India to David Headley has been made.”

The US envoy added that the US department of justice would work with the Indian government “regarding the modalities of such cooperation”.

“My answer would be yes,” Blake had said Saturday when asked by reporters if Indian investigators would be allowed to quiz Headley, who had confessed to his role in plotting the Mumbai attacks in a Chicago court last week.

After Blake’s remarks and a telephonic discussion with US Attorney General Eric Holder, also Head of the Department of Justice, Home Minister P. Chidambaram had asked National Investigation Authority and other agencies to prepare documents necessary for questioning Headley.

“It is my understanding,” Chidambaram had said, “that India would be able to obtain access to Headley to question him in a properly constituted judicial proceeding. Such a judicial proceeding could be either pre-trial or during an inquiry or trial.”

Sources in the home ministry had Monday said that India was likely to send a team of investigators early April to question the 49-year-old Headley.

Chidambaram, who returns from Britain on Wednesday, is expected to discuss with experts this week to finalise the composition of the team, the sources said. The interrogation of Headley, the sources said, could give India vital clues to the Laskhar-e-Taiba’s terror plans in India.