Access to Headley soon, says home scretary

NEW DELHI - As Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium returns from the US after holding talks on access to David Headley, officials here were hopeful that Indian investigators would soon get direct access to interrogate the Lashkar-e-Taiba operative who has admitted his role in planning the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

“We have been assured that Indian investigators would be given direct access to David Headley. This is a significant achievement and should put an end to the doubts expressed in certain quarters,” Home Secretary G.K. Pillai told reporters here Friday while presenting the monthly report of the ministry.

“We are waiting. The solicitor general will arrive tonight. Discussions will be held with him. I will be able to give you further details after talks with the team that had gone to the US,” he said, refusing to elaborate.

A two-member team led by Subramanium visited the US April 24-27 to discuss modalities of gaining access to Headley.

US authorities Wednesday said it was just a “matter of working out modalities” before access to Headley was given.

The issue was discussed at a meeting in Washington Tuesday between Subramanium and US Attorney General Eric Holder.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake said in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu Wednesday that the talks were being held at the “very highest levels”.

“Negotiations are on, but I don’t think there is any political problem at all. We are working at the very highest levels, for example between our attorney general and your home minister, so this is just a matter of working out modalities,” Blake said.