Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reportedly changed its approach towards fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, with greater emphasis now being placed on keeping him secure and moving him to a location near Karachi port.
Intelligence officials said the move is aimed at protecting the narcotics network linked to him while reducing the risk of international scrutiny falling on Islamabad.
He is considered a key figure in the syndicate that has been operating a narcotics smuggling network in India for several years.
For the Pakistani spy agency, which has supported Dawood Ibrahim over the years, the current situation is proving increasingly difficult. The agency needs funds to sustain terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Intelligence inputs suggest that this has increased the pressure on the network to expand the narcotics trade substantially.
An official said the ISI would have wanted Dawood Ibrahim to use his network to significantly expand narcotics smuggling operations. “However, the focus now is more on creating escape routes, taking care of his health and also ensuring his safety,” the official said.
While Dawood is reportedly suffering from several health problems, he is alive and continues to remain in Karachi. Following Operation Sindoor in May last year, the ISI is believed to have stepped up his security and moved him between different locations to avoid detection.
“He is currently living near a port in Karachi, and this location was chosen so that he could make a quick escape in case of an Indian operation that would look to target him,” the official added.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the reason he is being kept at a location from where he could make a quick escape is that if he is killed in an operation, then it would become amply clear that Pakistan has been housing him.
Islamabad has over the years vehemently denied his presence in Pakistan.
While Operation Sindoor inflicted significant damage on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure, it also altered the operating environment for the Dawood syndicate. Dawood, who had largely remained in the security of his Karachi residence, was forced to change his movements and operating pattern following the operation.
“Today when it comes to Dawood, the ISI is focusing more on ensuring his protection rather than using him for operations,” the IB official added.
The Narendra Modi government’s intensified crackdown on drugs has also disrupted the ISI’s plans to a considerable extent. The arrest of Dawood’s close aide, Salim Dola, has unsettled the syndicate’s international operations and disrupted established supply chains. In India, enforcement agencies are continuing their relentless pursuit of narcotics networks and cartels.
Another official said that in such a situation, Dawood becomes extremely handy for the ISI. There are the likes of Anees Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and Haji Salim to run the show. But Dawood is a cult figure for the syndicate, and with him not to be seen, many of the operatives have developed low morale, the official said.
The ISI would look for ways to ramp up narcotics smuggling in India. There is a major push that is being made through Punjab. However, the ISI would want the trade to thrive in all parts of the country, as raising funds from only Punjab operations is not sufficient to nurture the various terror groups in Pakistan, officials say.
In addition to Dawood’s poor health and security issues, there is also a succession battle within the syndicate. Shakeel feels he is far more useful and has contributed much more than the rest for the syndicate.
However, the family members are rooting for Dawood’s brother Anees Ibrahim to take charge, officials also point out.
Another official said that the ISI has multiple problems when it comes to the Dawood syndicate.
It cannot afford so many problems, especially with this syndicate at a time when it wants to raise funds in a big way through narcotics smuggling.
On the other hand, concealing his location and not letting the world know that he is in Pakistan is also important for the ISI. The country is also under close scrutiny by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and hence it becomes important to secure and cover Dawood Ibrahim, who is a key figure in terror funding, counterfeiting, and money laundering.
A weakened D-Company is good news for the Indian security agencies. Such issues would help the investigating agencies crack cases better and further weaken the Dawood network within India.
If the agencies manage to do this, a considerable amount of the narcotics smuggling problem in the country would be solved, an official said.
