After the government was left red- faced over its contradictory reply in Parliament on the whereabouts of Dawood Ibrahim, junior Indian Home Minister Kiren Rijiju said the underworld don lives in Pakistan and the Centre would continue to pursue the case very seriously.
“Government’s consistent stand is that he (Dawood) is in Pakistan and government of India has been providing information to Pakistan about his whereabouts and Pakistani agencies are not cooperating with Indian government. That is well known to everyone,” he told reporters outside Parliament. The minister said he could not say about the clarification to be given by the government in Parliament but requested everyone not to misconstrue a statement which is based on specific questions.
“So, if necessary, clarifications will be given but what I want to say is that please don’t question the intention of the government, the government is very clear and government’s job is well defined and it is pursuing the case very seriously,” he said.
Earlier, replying to a written question of BJP MP Nityanand Rai in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said, “The subject has not been located so far. Extradition process with regard to Dawood Ibrahim would be initiated once the subject is located.” Interestingly, the government has been maintaining for a long time that Dawood is living in Pakistan with the patronage of Pakistani security establishment.
The name of Dawood, who is wanted in connection with 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, figures in almost all the dossiers that have been handed over to Pakistan since the NDA rule in early 2000.