New Delhi: India and US may come together for the extradition of the mastermind of 1993 Mumbai blasts, underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
According to Indo-US Joint Operations statement, concerted efforts will be made to dismantle the safe havens of some of the most wanted terrorists and criminals as well as their networks like LeT, JeM, D-company, Al-Qaeda and Haqqani network.
Underworld don Dawood is a global terrorist, believed to often shuttle between Dubai and Karachi. India may take help of US in extradition to face trial in India.
The statement is considered significant as Dawood is believed to be in Pakistan, and the Haqqani network, which has been active along the Afghanistan border, has been working against both Indian and US interests.
To counter-terrorism and security, the two countries also agreed to step up intelligence sharing.
A joint US-India Joint Statement expressing this resolve after the summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama at the White House yesterday came on a day the US Treasury Department slapped sanctions against individuals and networks linked to two militant groups based in Pakistan.
“The leaders stressed the need for joint and concerted efforts, including the dismantling of safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks, to disrupt all financial and tactical support for networks such as Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, the D-company, and the Haqqanis,” the statement said while referring to issues relating to Homeland Security Cooperation.
D-company is a reference to the gang led by Dawood Ibrahim , an underworld don who is the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts. On March 12, 1993, serial bomb blasts rocked the western metropolis at various places, killing more than 250 and injuring over 700.
Indian External Affairs Ministry officials declined to elaborate on the Dawood issue beyond the resolve of the two countries to fight terror and criminal elements as reflected in the joint statement.
“Samajdhar ke liye ishara hi kafi hai” (A hint is enough for a wise person),” the ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told reporters in reply to questions in this regard.
In October 2003, the US designated Dawood as a global terrorist having links with Al Qaeda and financing activities of LeT and other terrorist organisations.
Narendra Modi and Obama also reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the November 2008 terror attack which killed 166 people.
