The US Treasury Department branded Dawood Ibrahim a "financial supporter" [of terrorism] on Thursday night, honouring an assurance made to the Indian government 10 days ago. US officials say Dawood made the list because evidence against him reached a certain "critical mass." India has supplied plenty of data about the donâs Lashkar-e-Taiba connection. This was reflected in the US announcement. But what clinched the matter was evidence that Dawood allowed Al-Qaeda to use his financial web. US law requires the terrorist label be affixed to only those out to attack US interests. However, the listing also comes at a time when Washington is casting a wary eye at Islamabadâs role in the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Says the ex-head of RAWâs Pakistan desk, B Raman, "The US is squeezing Pakistan very hard and going for Dawood is one way to apply pressure." Western diplomatic sources say as the US digs deeper into Pakistan, it is inclined to admit New Delhiâs charges about the murkiness of Pakistanâs military were not off the mark.
| It doesn't take much examination to come to that conclusion... |
âThe US dependence on Pakistan is greater than last year. But so is US understanding of Pakistanâs perversity,â said a source.
| I think we've had their number for awhile... |
The consensus is that Dawood will stay in Pakistan and use his Lashkar links to go underground. The UAE ignores India, but not the US. Dubai will be off-limits for the don. Even Saudi Arabia, where he was once believed to be shifting assets, is unsafe given the recent collapse of the truce between Riyadh and Al-Qaeda. If caught, he would be charged for financial crimes. As for extradition, says a US official, âIf we catch him, weâll see where it goes from there.â But this reflects a fact: Dawood rarely set off bombs himself. He used his money and network to help others do the dirty work. Dawoodâs syndicate controlled an arms-narcotics network that stretched from Europe to India. Indian sources say all his ships dropped anchor at Jebel Ali in the UAE. That safe harbour is gone. New Delhiâs expectation is that a key financial backbone of the jihadi army that targets India is now fractured and may soon be broken. |