Terrorist infrastructure continues to exist in Pakistan: Govt

The Government on Wednesday said terrorist infrastructure "continues" to exist in Pakistan.

The Government today said terrorist infrastructure "continues" to exist in Pakistan.

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"Available information indicates that the terrorist infrastructure continues to exist in Pakistan which are being run by Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir based organisations," Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

When asked about US terrorist David Coleman Headley, he said "Headley had attended training camps operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) on five separate occasions during 2002 and 2003-04."

As per available information, Headley has visited India nine times between 2006 to 2009. "In all these visits, he used his name as David Coleman Headley. However... Headley's own admission indicates that in February, 2006 in Philadelphia, he changed his name from Daood Gilani to facilitate his activities on behalf of LeT by portraying himself in India as an American and neither Muslim nor Pakistani," Maken said.

He said the government of India has at different levels indicated to the US that it would like David Headley to be extradited to India on charges linked to the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Government of India has also sought direct access to question him.

"The modalities of grant of access to Indian investigators have to be confirmed by the US authorities in the context of his plea agreement which, inter-alia, binds Headley to fully and truthfully testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the United States by way of deposition, video conferencing or Letters Rogatory, when directed by the US Attorney's Office," Maken said.