When, on October 16, the Bush administration declared Dawood Ibrahim an international terrorist for his links to Al Qaeda and froze his assets in the United States, it finally acknowledged what the Indian government had been saying for a very long time: the war on terror would never be won until D-Company was dismantled.

The declaration, which came courtesy intense Indian lobbying in Washington, also put Pakistan on notice; Washington acknowledged that Islamabad has provided sanctuary to the man who masterminded the March 12, 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai that killed 257 people.

There is a long way to go before Dawood is brought to justice. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence the Pakistani junta refuses to admit that the gangster is in the country.

Dawood is said to have shifted base to Islamabad (according to another report, he has moved to a remote island off Karachi called Manora). The move was precipitated by a car bomb attack at the Kawish Crown Plaza, which the fugitive owns, on September 19.

Text: Salil Kumar

Dawood is a global terrorist: US
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