Gaffe by Modi government: Does not know where Dawood Ibrahim is

In a major gaffe on the floor of the House, the government on Tuesday contradicted its own stated stand by informing that it does not know the whereabouts of India's most wanted gangster Dawood Ibrahim, who was responsible for 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, that killed 267 people.

"The subject has not been located so far. Extradition process with regard to Dawood Ibrahim would be initiated once the subject is located," minister of state for Home, Haribhai Parathibahi Chaudhary, told the Lok Sabha.

The gaffe can be used by Pakistan to question India's oft-stated stand that Dawood is in Pakistan, enjoying state protection.

His name was among the top 50 most-wanted terrorists in the list that India handed over to Pakistan in 2011 and then again in 2012. The list was given along with dossier containing evidence of Dawood's residence in Karachi.

Trying to play down the goof-up, minister of state for Home Kiren Rijiju said, "Please do not misconstrue a statement which was based on a specific question. Government's consistent stand is that Dawood is in Pakistan and it has been providing information to Pakistan about his whereabouts, though Pakistani agencies are not cooperating with Indian government. That is well known to everyone."

Incidentally, a similar answer was given by the union Home ministry during UPA's regime too on May 7, 2013.

However, the statement puts Modi-led BJP government in bad light as it has been very aggressive on bringing Dawood and other terrorists to justice and when in opposition was highly critical of Congress-led UPA government for doing precious little on this count.

The blunder becomes all the more damning as the previous UPA government, maintaining clear cut stand of Pakistan sheltering Dawood, had handed over dossier to Islamabad on more than one occasion listing his locations in Pakistan with evidence and the three Pakistani passports that he was believed to be using.

The two addresses mentioned in the dossier were:
Moin Palace, 2nd Floor, Opposite Abdullah Shah Ghazi Durgah, Clifton, Karachi, and 6/A, Khyaban Tanzeem, Phase V, Defence Housing Area, Karachi, Pakistan.

Incidentally, after a Western intelligence agency traced Dawood to the port city of Karachi by intercepting his phone calls in December last year, minister of state for Home Kiren Rijiju was quick to add that "Evidence of Dawood residing in Pakistan was always there. We have repeatedly asked Pakistan to hand him over. This latest evidence has made our case stronger."

In December last year, Home minister Rajnath Singh had also said, "We have repeatedly asked Pakistan to hand over Dawood. Let's be patient; action will be taken soon."

Getting into damage control mode, the Home ministry held a series of meeting on the issue as the official sources said that the government, in all probability, would clarify its stand in the parliament on Wednesday and may take refuge by saying that the government knows that Dawood is in Pakistan for sure but couldn't give an exact location as he keeps shifting residence.

Hitting out at the minister of state and the joint secretary who let the question on such a tricky subject go without full scrutiny, former union Home secretary G K Pillai said, "When name of a subject like Dawood come up, the question should have been sent to the cabinet secretariat. But this is a temporary setback as the whole world knows and there is enough evidence through phone intercepts and passports that Dawood uses that he is in Pakistan."