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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| More on Dawood Ibrahim and the ISIâs latest schemes | |
| 2004-04-05 | |
| More on Danâs posting ...Indian officials say Dawood Ibrahimâs contacts in ISI include Major Khaliq and Major Akbar under whose patronage he had been staying in Karachi carrying a Pakistani passport with the name of Sheikh Dawood Hasan. After the US declared him a global terrorist, he is said to have shifted to an ISI safe house in Islamabad. Dawood Ibrahim is planning to leave Pakistan soon and may enter a Gulf state, but he is finding it difficult as the US has included his name in List âCâ, after declaring him a âGlobal Terroristâ in October 2003. This means he is now an associate of the Al Qaeda. Indians believe Dawood Ibrahim is undergoing cosmetic surgery in Islamabad to change his looks.
Dawood has big financial stakes in Nepal. He has made huge investments in a variety of business ventures, from media, private airlines, hotels, travel agencies to trans-border smuggling including that of gold. In Nepal he has built high level contacts with businessmen, officials, politicians, smugglers, religious fundamentalists and the Kashmiri Shah family in Kathmandu. Indian officials are prepared to share even some confidential documents with journalists on this sensitive issue. One official showed the South Asia Tribune documents which indicate the ISI maintains regular contacts with various fundamentalist organizations of Nepal such as Al Hera Educational Society, Nepal Islamic Sangh, All Nepal Muslim Ittehad Association, Islamic Mission to Nepal, Muslim Ekta Sangh, Nepal World Islamic Council, World Assembly of Muslim Youth of Nepal. All these organizations are known for their fundamentalist approach. According to recent reports, a new Pan Islamic organization, âNepal Muslim Amaraat Societyâ has been founded by one Yunus Ansari, with support from the Pakistan-based fundamentalist elements. The aims and objectives of this organization include working amongst Muslims in the Terai belt of Nepal. A meeting was held recently near the Indian border town of Raxaul, where its office bearers discussed ways and means to unite Muslims of the Terai region of India under a single banner. Free Tarai! Some documents showed to this correspondent reveal strategies, geopolitical and topographical conditions on the Indo-Nepal borders for activities of the ISI backed elements. The scope of extending plans of the ISI in North Bengal areas including Darjeeling, Gorkha Hills and even up to Sikkim with the opening of the Indo-China trade route via Nathulla-Gangtok is much greater now. The utilization of the trade routes for smuggling arms and other clandestine activities cannot be ruled out. Officials told the South Asia Tribune the ISI is targeting Gorkha officials or retired officials of the Indian Army who belong to Nepal. The ISI has also succeeded in placing Pakistani citizens, a few of them ex-Pak army personnel, who have ensconced along the Indo-Nepal border by marrying local women with the objective of facilitating ISI activities in Nepal. Most of this information was divulged by an alleged ISI agent, Dilshad, who was arrested by the West Bengal police from Siliguri sometimes back. Dilshadâs reported task was to collect strategic information regarding Indian forcesâ deployment and movement in North Bengal and Sikkim. He had also passed on the information about the Indian security forcesâ operation against terrorist outfits of the North-Eastern region of India. Officials say the Government of India has already cautioned the Nepalese authorities about possible communal clashes between Muslim organizations and Hindu outfits viz. âPashupati Senaâ and âShiv Sena of Nepalâ as environment conducive for such clashes is being created. New Delhi is learnt to have provided documentary evidence to the Nepalese authorities on ISIâs alleged involvement in training and arming the Maoists to continue their rebellious activities against the monarchy in collaboration with the ultra Left outfits of India. Iâve always wondered who was backing the Maoists; but iâm sure communists could never work with militant Islamists... | |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |