Toronto: Ahead of Mark Carney’s planned visit to India, the Canadian government has initiated proceedings to revoke the citizenship of Pakistan-born businessman Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who is accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Rana, 64, a Canadian national originally from Pakistan, is considered a close associate of David Coleman Headley, a key conspirator in the attacks and a U.S. citizen. According to documents obtained by Global News, immigration authorities have informed Rana of their intention to cancel the citizenship he obtained in 2001.
He moved to Canada in 1997 and was later convicted in the United States for involvement in a plot targeting employees of a Danish newspaper.
Rana, accused of helping orchestrate the attacks that killed 166 people, was extradited from the US to India in April 2025 and arrested on arrival in New Delhi by the National Investigation Agency.
In its notice, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stated that the move to revoke Rana’s citizenship was based not on terrorism allegations but on claims that he misrepresented key facts in his application.
Officials said that when Rana applied for citizenship in 2000, he declared he had lived continuously in Ottawa and Toronto for four years, with only a six-day absence. However, an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police found he had actually spent most of that period in Chicago, where he owned businesses and properties, including an immigration consultancy and a grocery store.
Authorities described the discrepancy as “serious and deliberate deception,” saying the misrepresentation led officials to wrongly conclude that he met residency requirements.
In a letter dated May 31, 2024, IRCC alleged that Rana failed to disclose his time outside Canada, which resulted in citizenship being granted under false assumptions.
The government has now referred the matter to the Federal Court of Canada, which will determine whether his citizenship was obtained through fraud or concealment of material facts.
Rana’s Toronto-based immigration lawyer has challenged the move, arguing that revocation would be unjust and violate his rights. A hearing in the case was held last week, where government lawyers also sought permission to withhold sensitive national security information.
An immigration department spokesperson said revoking citizenship in cases of misrepresentation is a necessary measure to protect the integrity of Canada’s citizenship system, adding that such decisions are rare and not taken lightly.
