India has accused underworld don Dawood Ibrahim of staying in the same country (Pakistan) where al-Qaeda leader bin Laden was hiding and was killed.
In the 3rd Committee of the UN General Assembly, Special Rapporteur Ben Saul, who deals with protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, had recently submitted a report. In that report, he referred to the ‘D-Company’ group led by Dawood Ibrahim, who is wanted by India in connection with the Mumbai serial blasts and is in hiding in Pakistan, as a criminal gang from India. In response, Ragu Puri, First Secretary at the Indian Mission to the UN, said:
Special Rapporteur Ben Saul has issued a report containing false information, which is unacceptable. Our country has also expressed deep concern about this on other platforms.
For an organization like the UN, which is already facing questions about its credibility, such an act creates an unavoidable and unfortunate situation. In this context, I would like to point out some errors in that report. That is, in Ben Saul’s report, he has stated that in 2003 the UN Security Council said it was imposing sanctions on the leader of the criminal group D-Company from India because it had links with al-Qaeda. If this line is viewed on its own, it creates a picture that is completely different from the actual facts.
We completely reject the statement that D-Company is from India. The D-Company criminal group and its leader, Dawood Ibrahim, have been wanted by India in connection with terrorist attacks carried out since 1993. The reasons for placing them on the sanctions list under the UN Security Council’s procedure for action against al-Qaeda are clearly stated. It is regrettable that this fact was not mentioned in the report. Such an error could cause serious damage to this organization (the UN).
I will correct that information. He (Dawood) had fled India before being added to the UN sanctions list in 2003. It was while he was outside India that he was placed on the UN’s list of sanctioned individuals for his links with al-Qaeda and bin Laden. Dawood Ibrahim continues to remain a wanted criminal by India. He (Dawood) is staying in the same country where al-Qaeda leader bin Laden was hiding and was killed (referring to Pakistan), he said.
