Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian-Pakistani businessman, was extradited to India on April 10, 2025, for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. His interrogation has brought renewed attention to the suspected roles of two Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers: Major
Major Iqbal: The Alleged Handler
Identified in a 2010 U.S. indictment as a serving ISI officer, Major Iqbal is accused of financing and directing reconnaissance missions in Mumbai. David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American who scouted targets for the attacks, described Major Iqbal as his primary ISI handler. Headley testified to over 20 email exchanges with Iqbal, who used the alias “Chaudhery Khan,” discussing surveillance activities and equipment. The U.S. indictment charged Iqbal with aiding terrorism and murder, alleging he funneled funds and resources to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the group behind the attacks.
Major Sameer Ali: The Alleged Field Coordinator
Major Sameer Ali, another accused ISI officer, is believed to have overseen the attacks in real-time from a LeT control room in Karachi’s Malir Cantonment. According to Zabiuddin Ansari (alias Abu Jundal), a 26/11 handler arrested in 2012, Sameer Ali issued directives during the siege. Interpol’s Red Notice describes Ali as born in Lahore in 1966, fluent in Urdu, Hindi, and English, and wanted by India for organized crime and terrorism. Pakistan has denied his existence, dismissing him as a
Rana’s extradition and subsequent interrogation by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) aim to uncover further details about the planning and execution of the attacks, including the involvement of these alleged ISI operatives
