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| India-Pakistan |
| Portrait of a Don |
| 2003-05-27 |
| An older article about an Indian mafia boss who has loaned out hitmen to the ISI for deniable assassinations. He also is a major player in the Dubai underworld, which has much overlap with the financing of terrorists. ...Growing Hindu-Muslim tension, fuelled by other underworld dons, which climaxed after the Babri mosque demolition, changed everything. The ensuing blasts in Mumbai, and the communal riots triggered by the underworld itself, caused the Dawood Ibrahim gang to splinter. One of his top lieutenants, Chota Rajan, often described by Ibrahim as one of his 'nine jewels' defected and formed his own group consisting mainly of Hindu boys. Thereafter, Ibrahim was accused of masterminding the blasts, even though he was out of town at the time. Thus Dawood fled to Pakistan, managing also to subsequently smuggle his family out of Mumbai. Today they are all Pakistani passport holders. Not only have the Pakistani authorities turned a blind eye to the gangâs activities within Pakistan, but many in the corridors of power have partaken of Dawoodâs hospitality. Dawood often throws lavish mujras for Pakistani politicians and bureaucrats. A recent guest was a former caretaker Prime Minister. These are not the only members of the establishment who have close ties with Dawood. He is said to have the protection of assorted intelligence agencies. In fact, Dawood and his men move around the city guarded by heavy escorts of armed men in civvies believed to be personnel of a top Pakistani security agency. A number of government undercover agents, who came into contact with Dawood because of their official duties, are now, in fact, working for him. âA major serves him a glass of water. Nearly all the men who surround him for security reasons are either retired or serving officers,âclaims an MQM activist. âAnd he keeps them happy â buying them expensive apartments and showering them with favours. So they are more loyal to Dawood than the government of Pakistan.â According to informed sources, Dawood is Pakistanâs number one espionage operative. His men in Mumbai help him get whatever information he needs for Pakistan. Rumour has it that sometimes his men in Karachi accompany Pakistani intelligence agents to the airports to scan arriving passengers and identify RAW agents. Both Dawood and his lieutenant Chota Shakeel, who have international satellite telephones and mobile roaming facilities, are in constant touch with their people in India and are allegedly able to garner valuable information for local agencies. But Dawood has not severed all ties with India â or even with Hindu nationalists. Dawood and his men might claim to be the champions of the Indian Muslims, but he continues to have close business ties with the Hindu mafia. One of his close associates claims that Dawood even has joint business interests with the son of the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena leader, Bal Thackeray, public pronouncements of fierce enmity between the two notwithstanding. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #1 No sharia here. Just good'ole fashioned thugery. Makes my heart sing. It's business. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2003-05-27 10:21:41 |