Pakistan tries to thwart extradition of Dawood’s top aide to US

TIL Desk/World/London/ Pakistani diplomats in London are making all-out efforts to prevent the extradition of D-Company’s top lieutenant Jabir Motiwala to the United States. Hearing the extradition plea of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, the D-Company’s defence lawyer, backed by Pakistani diplomats, said that Motiwala was suffering from acute depression and cannot be flown to the US to face money laundering, drug trafficking and underworld crime charges.

Motiwala, one of the trusted aides of Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in London in August 2018 on money laundering and drug trafficking charges, following a tip-off from the FBI. Sources close to Indian agencies informed that the Pakistan High Commission in London had earlier tried to thwart the extradition move by submitting a letter on behalf of the accused’s lawyer in the court, saying Motiwala was a “well-known and respected businessman in Pakistan”.

In fact, Pakistan fears that once Motiwala is extradited to the US, the close aide of D-Company can reveal the entire nexus between Dawood Ibrahim’s underworld network (being operated from Karachi) and the don’s connection with Pakistan’s spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).