Plane carrying Tahawwur Rana avoided Pak airspace

ISLAMABAD: The aircraft that brought Tahawwur Ali Rana, a Canadian national, from the US to New Delhi on Thursday, avoided Pakistan’s airspace while reaching the Indian capital. Rana has been implicated by the Indian agencies in Mumbai shootout of 2008. According to media reports, the commercial and businesschartered flights flying from the US to India and vice versa fly over Pakistan en route to Indian cities.

Rana, who is a medical doctor, has been formally extradited to India from the US, reaching New Delhi on Thursday (April 10) where his custody was handed over to Indian agencies by the US marshals. Now Rana has been handed over to Indian interrogating agencies for 18 days in the name of remand.

The chartered Gulfstream G550 -- a luxury ultra-long-range business jet -- took the usual route over Pakistan during its return to the UAE. The US-India commercial, business-chartered flights generally fly over Pakistan because it is the shortest route.