Canada moves to revoke Tahawwur Ranas citizenship ahead of PM Carneys India Visit
Pakistan-origin businessman Rana is currently in India's custody where he is facing trial on charges for his involvment in Mumbai terror attacks carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2008, killing over 160 people.
PTC News Desk: The Canadian government has reportedly initiated proceedings to revoke citizenship of 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana. The move comes ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's India visit on Februay 26 as Ottawa seeks to reset ties with New Delhi, soured under the previous Justin Trudeau government.
Pakistan-origin businessman Rana is currently in India's custody where he is facing trial on charges for his involvment in Mumbai terror attacks carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2008, killing over 160 people.
Canadian publication Global News reported that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has communicated to Rana that it intends to strip him of the Canadian citizenship he obtained in 2001. The 65-year-old had immigrated to Canada in 1997.
The Canadian government’s decision to revoke Rana’s citizenship is reportedly unrelated to any terrorism charges against him. In a notice, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said his citizenship was obtained through misrepresentation. Officials alleged that while applying in 2000, Rana gave incorrect details about his time living in Canada.
According to the IRCC, he claimed to have lived in Ottawa and Toronto for four years before submitting his application, stating he was outside the country for only six days during that period. However, an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reportedly found that he had actually spent most of that time in Chicago, where he owned properties and ran businesses, including an immigration consultancy and a grocery store, as per a Global News report.
The department described this as “serious and deliberate deception,” saying his failure to reveal long absences led authorities to believe he met the residency requirements for citizenship. In a letter dated May 31, 2024, the IRCC informed Rana that the alleged misrepresentation had influenced officials to grant him citizenship despite apparent ineligibility.