EDITORIAL
Dawood Ibrahim has been on India’s ‘most wanted’ list for long – ever since the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts that occurred as a retaliation to the Babri Masjid demolition and alleged attacks on Moslems. Dawood earned his stripes as a dare-devil underworld don in Mumbai in the 1980s when he launched his D-Company of gangsters. It is widely believed he funded and masterminded the 1993 blasts from his base in Karachi, Pakistan. He is also believed to have provided the logistic support to terrorists for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in close coordination with the ISI.
Interpol had issued a lookout notice against Dawood, and the US has designated him a ‘global terrorist’. Both the US and Interpol, even Russia, are certain that Dawood is in Pakistan. But they are restrained by a lack of urgency on their part in tracking him down, though at one time he was known to be associated with Al Qaeda as well. Deceit is an integral part of Pakistani diplomacy, as was amply evident in the ISI harbouring of Bin Laden. India will be foolish to expect a confirmation of Dawood’s presence in Pakistan from the government there. But, a logical question is, what are Indian diplomacy and its external intelligence worth if they could not lay their hands on India’s ‘most wanted man’ even after 22 years.
Minister of state for Home Haribhai Choudhury stated in Parliament Tuesday that the government has no idea about the whereabouts of Dawood. By this statement, he was making a serious departure from India’s stated position that Dawood was safely harboured in Pakistan by ISI, and that the agency was using him and his agents for its provocative machinations against India. Dawood Ibrahim is known to run several shady businesses based out of Karachi, the UAE and even South East Asia. These include hawala rackets, as also suspected drugs and human trafficking. His role in sport fixing is well-publicized. D-Company continues to be active in India in multiple ways. The marriages of Dawood’s two daughters in recent years, held in grand hotels in Dubai, were attended by top Pakistani army and ISI brass, among others — openly at that, signifying the direct Pakistani link to Dawood’s operations. In a country where individuals possess multiple passports, Dawood is known to fly in and out of Karachi in different names and with a rare frequency.
The 1993 riots were provocation enough. The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks should have been the last straw. The Indian government handed over a list of wanted men to the Pakistani government in 2011, and it was ignored in a rather contemptuous manner. The Narendra Damodardass Modi government started off by claiming, among other of its big talks, that it would drag Dawood back to India. The statement by the minister in Parliament Tuesday not only means that the government could make zero progress but also that it lacks the nerve to proceed in the matter. The utter failure of India’s intelligence and diplomatic channels is all too obvious.
In fact, the Modi government’s diplomatic outreach has cut no ice so far in respect to Pakistan or other regional entities. Rather, we are losing substantial ground in areas like Afghanistan where the Pakistani establishment is building new bridges with spectacular success and smartness. A similar situation is developing in respect of Maldives, though this has largely to also do with the ineptness with which the UPA II government handled the changing power equations there.
Indications are that the ISI is planning fresh offensives against India, and it could be only a matter of time before the next terror strikes. Dawood cannot but be a willing partner in such schemes. With key Indian agencies proving their lack of worth, the only hope can be likely US cooperation. But how far Uncle Sam would step in on matters concerning Pakistan is a big question.