Indian newspapers are reporting that Russian intelligence says underworld don Dawood Ibrahim – an Indian national who India believes is living in Karachi in Pakistan — was involved in the Mumbai attacks.
The Indian Express quotes Russia’s federal anti-narcotics service director Viktor Ivanov as saying that Moscow believes that Dawood’s drug network, which runs through Afghanistan, was used to finance the attacks. Ivanov said these were a “burning example” of how the illegal drug trafficking network was used for carrying out militant attacks, the paper said, citing an interview in the official daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta.
The stories caught my eye not just because of the alleged link to Ibrahim, but because it highlights the extent to which Russian and Indian intelligence may be cooperating over Mumbai and on the wider issues over Afghanistan and the heroin trade. (A colleague in our Moscow bureau tells me that Ivanov is close to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and has good connections in the Russian intelligence community.)
“The gathered inputs testify that regional drug baron Dawood Ibrahim had provided his logistics network for preparing and carrying out the Mumbai terror attacks,” the Asian Age quoted Ivanov as saying. “The super profits of the narco-mafia through Afghan heroin trafficking have become a powerful source of financing organised crime and terrorist networks, destabilising the political systems, including in Central Asia and the Caucasus.”
The Times of India also quoted the special representative of the Russian president for international co-operation in the fight against terrorism, Anatoly Safonov, as saying the drug network was a joint problem for India and Russia.
Pakistan has historic reasons to fear any strengthening of Indian-Russian cooperation in Afghanistan. India and Russia both supported Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance when it was opposition to the country’s Pakistan-backed Taliban rulers, before they were thrown out by the U.S.-led invasion following 9/11. Their close relationship during the Cold War left Pakistan feeling particularly vulnerable during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 and 1989, when it faced India on its eastern border and Russian troops on its western border.
But back then Pakistan could rely on U.S. backing to fund the mujahideen who helped drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan. Nowadays it faces intense pressure from the United States to crack down on Taliban and al Qaeda militants on the Pakistan-Afghan border; growing Indian influence in Afghanistan, and — since the Mumbai attacks — a belligerent India which has blamed them on Pakistan-based groups.
So the Russian report about Ibrahim, who India has accused of masterminding serial bombings in Mumbai in 1993 which killed at least 250 people, is likely to hit a raw nerve in Pakistan. So too would any evidence that Russia and India are working more and more closely together in Afghanistan, which Pakistan has traditionally tried to bring under its own sphere of influence to give it ”strategic depth” in the event of war with India.
One to watch.
(Reuters photo: A fishing boat passes the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai/Jayanta Shaw)
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[...] have flourished - in no small part because of drug trafficking, with disastrous consequences (including possibly [...]
- Posted by SWARAJ » Legalize, regulate and tax drugs[...] Karachi to tone down his visibility. D-Company and Pakistani intelligence are probably both involved in the terrorist attacks. D-Company participated in the bomb blasts in the early nineties [...]
- Posted by Dispatch from Dubai: City of Superlatives « The Bhatany Report[...] in Karachi to tone down his visibility. D-Company and Pakistani intelligence are probably both involved in the terrorist attacks. D-Company participated in the bomb blasts in the early nineties while [...]
- Posted by Dispatch from Mumbai: Of gangsters, terrorists, and film stars « The Bhatany ReportFBI recommendation:
- Posted by Peaceindia should first find its black sheeps, fingure pointing any other country does not obsolve ones responsibility to protect its citizens. source New Dehli Times.
It should be relatively easy to find Dawood Ibrahim…just look for the great ex-cricketing legend Javed Miandad! After all his son’s married to Dawood’s daughter…lol.
- Posted by SafJust read in REDIFF that Pakistan was close to working a deal with India on Dawood handover, but he seems to be protected by the CIA since he is involved with many dealings with them.Is there any truth ?
- Posted by VijayThe photo is from indian website and it termed it as surrended, as the super liar you cannot be trusted.
The photo is not of surrender but of the agreement when india aided in separation of One Pakistan into two countries - Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was the agreement for release of Pakistani POWs arrested in Bangladesh (then part of Pakistan). It was indian conspiracy that resulted in division of Pakistan. India has always have many cruel intentions towards Pakistan - infact india is afraid of Pakistan. People in west Pakistan was missguided and now have become an informal slave to india - this is what india want for Pakistan - but will never acheive this aim.
Long live and prosperous Pakistan.
- Posted by PeaceDecember 23rd, 2008
8:26 pm GMT - Posted by Peace
========================
HA HA H HAH HHAH HAHAHA. Very funny. Luckily there is a photograph of Paki army signing the surrender to Indian army in 1971. Otherwise you will deny Paki army ever surrendered to Indian army. (Or are you still denying that too? ha hah hah ha ha.
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/1971/Dec16 /Surrender1.jpg
Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott who worked in the Clinton administration in 1999 has written a book where he gives details of events of 1999. He gives a very unflattering description of Pakis, how they begged Clinton to bail them out. Clinton said “no Get the hell out and withdraw the troops”.
- Posted by VictorThere is a misconception among idiots that Pakistan has been defeated in all four wars with india. The super liars had been defeated by Pakistan in 1965 and one of Pakistan super pilot destroyed five indian jets in one minute, when india attacked Lahore without prior notification. In 1971 there was no war, it was war within Pakistan resulted in separation of west Pakistan, and that was done by the cruel intention of india and its R&AW intelligence agency. During Kargil Incident then indian PM went to USA for begging the piece from Pakistan, and Pakistan leave that position on its own on instruction of Bush, look at statistics which side got more dead soldiers. The first war was created by Hindu created cast sikhs - cast whose main objective is to protect hindus - when then genocide millions of muslims migrating to the independent and true country of peace.
Mumbai attacks are self created and there exist lots of evidences particularly the arrest of two men and then identified as states personnel, further there exist no corroborating evidence to Pakistan or any Pakistani link to that incident - Why so far evidence is provided to either Pakistan or anyone else in the world.
India had previously threaten to attack Pakistan, but now feared away. WHY? INDIA HAS WHOLE LIES AND NO TRUTH
- Posted by PeaceWar War War War….I suppose no one realizes the devastation it will bring to people-POOR people-in both countries…
Good luck with the FASCINATION with war….everyone just have to sit down and think deeply WHO will actually gain from the devastation….the very people who both countries are fighting with….
GOD help us all….
- Posted by KashifJust saw live interview of Interpol guy (chief probabbly) Ronald K. He has said that Indians have given them no solid or conclusive evidence regarding Mumbai attacks linkage with Pakistan.
India is acting as Judge, jury and executioner. And Dawood’s son got married in Dubai. So why can’t he be there.
- Posted by TaimurMyra, it’s somewhat like America demanding their Alcapone from the Pakistani’s
- Posted by AnupMyra, Dawood is under the ISI patronage or detention, depending on his personal outlook, the underworld empire setup by him in Mumbai, specially the Indian western coastal smuggling network is still thriving in his name(possibly symbolically, but surely supervised by the ISI) & because the Bombay blast of ’93 are attributed to him, he’s also a great Hero amongst a particular section of Indians, India’s demand for him is simply because he’s a living evidence against the ISI hand in the ’93 blasts & know very well that the ISI will eliminate him rather than let him fall in the hands of the Indian authorities, although many a Indian politicians also wouldn’t like it…
- Posted by AnupRussians showing interest in mumbai carnage takes a special strategic turns..Russia could be willing to help India to crack down on pakistan..specially the name pakistan should make russian blood boil given pakistanis terrorist breeding ground role for afghan independence from Russia.
- Posted by OmDawood was a petty street thrawler in mumbai till he was used by pakistan’s ISI to establish a drug network and injecting fake currency in India. Pakistani ISI supplied him with guns and explosives for mumbai train blasts. after that dawood escaped to pakistan and is believed to be in karachi.
- Posted by OmA couple more questions on Dawood Ibrahim (and thanks to the person above for posting the Interpol link):
Has anyone come across anything recently documenting links between Dawood Ibrahim and Laskhar-e-Taiba? Ideologically, they are unlikely bedfellows given that Ibrahim came from the Indian Muslim community, while LeT has traditionally been orientated towards Kashmir.
And has anyone read anything recently saying where Dawood Ibrahim actually is? Particularly to the Pakistanis commenting on this post, are you saying that he was not involved in the Mumbai attacks, or that he is not in Pakistan?
(Also another plea to stick to the point. Ali, Pakistan’s role in UN operations in Somalia is not relevant here.)
Myra
- Posted by Myra MacDonaldAmar
- Posted by UmairCongratulations, India is the country which produced a criminal like Dawood. Wasnt Dawood a Mumbaikar, he started a career with petty crime in the srteets of Mumbai. Why should Pakistan be bothered? why in first place Indian society created a Dawood Ibrahim out of an unemployed elienated youngster. India must bring their own house in order before pointing finger at Pakistan.