In yet another instance of an Indian internal matter being taken to a US court, relatives of two US citizens?Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka?killed in the 26/11 terrorist attacks have filed a lawsuit against Pakistan?s intelligence agency, ISI, and terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in a New York court. The Indian government is reportedly considering providing evidence for the case under the existing Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between India and the US. A strange development, considering India?s own investigation of the attacks is ongoing. The New York court has already issued summons to senior ISI officials, including its chief, Major General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, and LeT leaders Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. In character, the Pakistani government?s first reaction was to say that the ISI ?is a sensitive agency of the Pakistani military and it is unimaginable that we will force their officers to appear in the US court on foreign dictation?. It can?t say otherwise, considering the lawsuit accused the ISI of aiding and abetting Lashkar terrorists in killing 166 people in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, six of whom were Americans. Needless to say, none of the LeT leaders will appear in court, a perk of being an illegal terrorist organisation. That said, the US court is unlikely to stop until it delivers a judgement. One can just wait and see what it is.
Worth noting is that this isn?t the first Indian affair being taken to a US court. Last month, a New York court issued summons to the Indian National Congress in relation to a case filed against it over the 1984 Sikh riots. Even the Satyam scam reached American shores, with American market regulator SEC fining Satyam and PwC a total of $16 million earlier this month. This while India?s investigation into the case is still dragging on. Does that say more about the US or about us?
