Why would my husband attack my second home India: Rana's wife

From Himani Kumar
Chicago, Jun 7 (PTI) Samraz, the wife of Mumbai
attacks co-accused Tahawwur Rana, said Tuesday that India was
her second home and there was no reason her husband would have
planned to attack that country.
Refuting Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative David
Headley's claims that Rana was very close to him and had
helped him plot the Mumbai (India's western city) terror
attacks of 2008, Samraz said, Headley was just an "Urdu
speaking American friend" to her family who had claimed to
have reformed following drug addiction issues and arrests.
"India is my second home and my mother is from India.
All my relations are from India and they live in Meerut,
Ghaziabad and Delhi," Samraz said, asking why would then her
husband plot an attack on that country.
Samraz Rana was present in the court room where Rana's
lawyers presented their defence, wearing glasses and dressed
in a cream-coloured salwar kameez with a yellow dupatta
covering her head.
In an interview to PTI, she said Headley had been
involved in a lot of drug arrests, and had had issues with the
FBI and also with his wives.
"The only connection was that Rana and Headley were
together in college for three years in Cadet College Abdal
Hasan in Pakistan," said Mrs Rana, adding that Headley had
"different faces" as shown by him in the court.
Samraz, a doctor herself, who used to practice in
Pakistan, said her husband used to keep Headley at bay because
of his bad habits and drug addiction.
But after his drug involvement and arrests, Headley
came back to Rana and told him, "I have changed".
Rana, who felt Headley had had a change of heart, then
embraced him into his family, she said.Born of an American mother and a Pakistani father,
Headley had had a troubled and distorted past. Samraz said
that she did not know that Headley had a terrorist connection.
Samraz said Headley was considered an Urdu speaking
American friend, who spoke English well and showed her
children American movies as he owned a video rental store.
Headley has stated during his testimony that he
considered the Chicago businessman "his best friend in the
world". But Rana's wife rubbished this.
"Headley had different faces and the face he brought
in court is proof of this. We have seen him in court," she
said.
Rana and his family has been in Chicago for the past
15-16 years, and Samraz says the community has been supportive
of her family after her husband's arrest. However, they afraid
to do business with them for fear of falling into trouble.
"Although people are still friendly, they are
scared... People are afraid to do business with us after the
arrest. They feel they will get into trouble if they do
business with us," said Rana's wife.
Rana's lawyer Charles Swift also agreed that people
were scared to do business with the Ranas but said "the
community is supporting their family 100 per cent".
Samraz said that Headley used to refer to her as
"sister" but being a Muslim, she hardly used to appear before
unrelated men.
She also said that the Indian media had exaggerated
facts and even given certain incorrect reports in connection
with the case, unlike the American media which has been more
reasonable in covering it.
"Indian media exaggerates a lot. They have to see the
truth first," she said. "American TV channels are writing better. Indian media
should write truly and better and not go by the India-Pakistan
enmity," Samraz said.
Rana, used to own a grocery shop that sells meat and
an immigration office called First World Immigration Services
Inc at Devon Avenue, the heart of the South Asian community in
Chicago. He also owns a farm in Kinsman, Illinois.
After the arrest of Rana, however, the business had
suffered. "Business is slow because of all these things and I
am taking care of the business after Rana's arrest," she
added.