Why is Canada revoking Tahawwur Rana’s citizenship? It’s not over terrorism charges
Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, is currently in custody in India and is awaiting trial
Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, is currently in custody in India and is awaiting trial
Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, is currently in custody in India and is awaiting trial
Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, is currently in custody in India and is awaiting trial
The Canadian government has initiated proceedings to revoke the citizenship of Tahawwur Rana Hussain, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, reports claimed on Monday.
The move came ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India on February 26 as the two countries look to mend bilateral ties strained under former PM Justin Trudeau.
Rana (64) is a Pakistan-born Canadian national and a key associate of David Coleman Headley, a US citizen and one of the main conspirators of the attack. Rana is currently in custody in India and is awaiting trial on charges related to the attack.
However, Ottawa’s move to revoke his citizenship is not based on terror charges, but over allegations of misrepresentation.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ha found that Rana had lied on his application form for citizenship in 2000. He claimed to have lived in Ottawa and Toronto for the previous four years, with only a six-day absence from the country.
However, an investigation showed that he had actually spent almost that entire time in Chicago, where he owned several properties and businesses, including an immigration firm and a grocery store.
"Yours is a case in which it appears that you misrepresented your residence in Canada during the application process for citizenship by deliberately failing to declare your absences from Canada," the IRCC wrote to Rana, notifying its intention to stripe him of the citizenship.
A Global News report quoted an immigration department spokesperson as saying that cancelling citizenship for misrepresentation was an important tool for maintaining the integrity of Canadian citizenship.
The matter is now being heard in the federal court which will take the final decision on Rana’s citizenship.
Meanwhile, Carney will visit Mumbai on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business leaders. Canada and India moved last year to advance a trade deal after two years of strained relations.