UTS Voice
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Is it because Dawood has ceased to be a small time criminal and petty gangster of Mumbai? In the arena of criminals and the history of crime, Dawood is a shining example where individual attains the status of an institution who in turn becomes an ‘icon’, and then turns into an ‘idol’.
Yes, since Dawood’s crimes in the past have now started yielding tangible gains in the form of financial profit to his numerous partners, one doubts as to whether he will be caught at all or not.
Assuming, without conceding, that Pakistan does hand over Dawood to American agencies, what happens? In one stroke chaos and all round desperation are likely to follow and fear would grip many powerful individuals across Asia.
Since 9/11, the US is supposed to be the strongest, roughest and the toughest votary of the ‘Global War on Terror’. Understandably, therefore, both the FBI and the CIA will make full use of the information gleaned from Dawood: He is likely to spill the beans about his investments, connections, crimes, along with details of his various hideouts and those who may have had direct or indirect links with the terror attack of 9/11.
Therefore, no Asian nation is likely to track, trace and trade Dawood for any lucrative offer emanating from the US. That simply appears highly unlikely owing to the amazingly high stakes being shared, among others, by some top VVIPs living in the Persian Gulf states to Penang and from Kabul to Kuala Lumpur. The best possible course of action, therefore, appears to be a continued existence of an invisible, inaudible and a mirage-like stuff whose presence and fear could be felt in absentia but who should be left untouched through imagination and vandalisation down the route of shadow-boxing.
The mental fear of a variety of nations enmeshes very well with the mysterious and ‘mystic’ character of loot, boot and scoot. If Dawood is caught, lots of ‘financial empires’ will collapse and regimes may be in peril. Hence a wanted but missing man could be the preferred option. We may never really get to see this man ever again.
- The writer is an alumnus of the National Defence College and a member of International Institute for Strategic Studies, London. The views are his own.
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