Introduction: Says he's hiding in Orkazai under ISI's protection
With fresh evidence confirming Pakistan's inability to shift the privileged guest of the ISI, Dawood Ibrahim, out of Pakistan, New Delhi has been stepping up pressure on Islamabad to handover India's most wanted criminal.
Contrary to the assertions of General Pervez Musharraf that his administration has not been sheltering those involved in terror activities in India, the latest intelligence reports with New Delhi have said that Dawood Ibrahim has been located in Orkazai in NWFP by his ISI handlers. In his interactions with Western interlocutors, home minister L K Advani has been maintaining that just as Osama bin Laden represents terrorism in the West, Dawood, who masterminded the Bombay blasts which killed 300 people, is the personification of terrorism in India. In other words, turning over Dawood will be the principal test of General Musharraf's much trumpetted commitment to ending terrorism.
In his address at the India Today
conclave, as well, the home minister had said that turning over the wanted
terrorists/criminals was the bare minimum needed for responding to Pakistan's
request to roll back troops from the border. Mr Advani had said that India
considered Pakistan to be a nation that arms, finances and incites terrorism
and any accommodation of its demands would require the neighbour to mend
its uncivil ways. NWFP has been a favourite sanctuary for Dawood's gang
for some time. It may be recalled that the gang members of the D-company,
who carried out the Bombay blasts, were taken to a training camp run by
the Harkat-ul-Ansar in the region. According to details collected by the
intelligence agencies, the perpetrators of the crime, who had Indian passports,
were taken to Dubai where Dawood got them Pak visas from their consulate.
They were then taken to Karachi by a PIA flight. Those who have been associated
with the probe say that they were received by a D Company member at the
tarmac, and taken out of the airport without immigration formalities.