Journalism of Courage
Advertisement
Premium

First time, Dawood on a Pak list, but denial option open

Dawood, Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed, Lashkar’s operations head and 26/11 accused Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar figure in a list of 88 names, published as a Statutory Regulatory Order by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Haji Ismail Haji Habib, Haji Ismail Haji Habib redevelopment, dawood ibrahim, dawood ibrahim property india, dawood ibrahim property mumbai, mumbai city newsDawood Ibrahim (File)

In a bid to escape blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan has effectively ended up acknowledging the presence in the country of fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, one of the most wanted men in India.

Dawood, Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed, Lashkar’s operations head and 26/11 accused Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar figure in a list of 88 names, published as a Statutory Regulatory Order by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

All designated terrorists on the list will have no direct access to funds, be able to enter or transit through Pakistan, or be able to procure weapons.

Read | Dawood enjoys patronage in ‘neighbouring country’: India

Dawood, who is accused of the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai among other terror attacks in India, has long been on India’s most wanted list, but successive Pakistan governments have denied his presence there.

Moving to avoid the FATF blacklist, Pakistan, via the SRO dated August 18, reproduced the terror listing of Dawood by the United Nations Security Council.

In the Pakistan notification, Dawood’s details are provided under serial no. QDi.135 — as in the UNSC list of sanctions — and gives out all his details including his passport numbers, and address in Clifton, Karachi.

Also Read | Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Dawood Ibrahim declared terrorists under new anti-terror law

Story continues below this ad

The entry is the same as the UNSC list, which has his aliases, residential address in Karachi (Pakistan) and his passport details (he has 9 Indian passports and 5 Pakistan passports). In all 5 Pakistani passports, the entry says “misuse” — indicating that Pakistan has not provided them through official means.

“As of August 18, 2020, the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee has approved the entries specified below to its List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2368 (2018) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,” stated the SRO numbered 741(I)/2020, issued by the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sources in New Delhi, however, pointed out that this will not mean much since he has not been put on Pakistan’s national terror list — the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA-Schedule IV, Proscribed Persons) List.

Sources said Islamabad has reproduced the UNSC list, hoping to get past the FATF in September. Pakistan has been under scrutiny of the FATF, the global terrorist financing watchdog, for the last two years, and has so far fulfilled only half of the 27-point action plan of the FATF.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
  • Dawood Ibrahim Financial Action Task Force Masood Azhar
Edition
Install the Express App for
a better experience
Featured
Trending Topics
News
Multimedia
Follow Us
RSS at 100Patel vs Nehru, and many twists in between, in Sangh's ties with Congress
X