Dawood used for laundering N-tech sale money?

The arrest of businessman Aizaz Jafri has also fuelled suspicion that Dawood and his Dubai network was used for laundering money.

The arrest of a businessman Aizaz Jafri alleged to be one of the frontman for the disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan by Pakistani Government has led to the exposure of many others who got embroiled in the underworld nexus for money-laundering and illegal shipment of nuclear material. The names include that of several eminent businessmen and army officers.

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The nexus with the underworld has also fuelled the long-held suspicion that Dawood Ibrahim and his Dubai network was used for laundering money received from sales of nuclear weapons technology and for helping shipments to Iran and Libya and getting material to Dubai from other countries like Malaysia.

Jafri is believed to have acted as middleman for Khan in the international black market network in nuclear materials set up by Khan over the past two decades. He managed a chain of hotels and restaurants, which were either fully or partially owned by Khan. Significantly, Jafri made frequent trips to Dubai where Dawood was based after fleeing from Mumbai.

In fact, a very reliable Pak source said that according to reports coming from Pakistan Dawood has been undergoing plastic surgery since the US declared in October last year that his underworld network was allegedly involved in money laundering for Al-Qaeda and other such groups.

The source said the possibility of the US intelligence demanding to take Dawood to the US for interrogation and possible trial alarmed the Pak Generals. It could not afford to let Dawood "talk", although Khan has been pardoned and officially Americans have expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by President Musharraf to stop proliferation through Khan and his laboratory.

The reason for keeping Dawood away from any interrogation is not to keep a lid on Khan's activities, for most of that is out now.

In fact, more and more people connected with his illegal activities are being continuously exposed and detained.

The real reason to shield Dawood is, according to sources, the use of his "reach" and network by the rogue element in the ISI.

He has had round-the-clock protection and is said to be very close to several Generals who have links with fundamentalist groups. There is no way that Musharraf could afford to let him go because that could cause unrest among powerful military officers, said the source.

He added that since the Americans have decided to continue to back the President, they might not press for Dawood's detention, so long all avenues for proliferation is sealed. But, for his own safety, Dawood is possibly going through plastic surgery.

Dawood was, said the source, a part of the group of people, either based in Dubai or operated from there. Several names are being taken, including that of a bullion king, a big dealer in gold and jewellery, a major player in stock exchange and two army officers, one of colonel and another of major rank. The two army officers, are said to be the conduit for passing nuclear weapons technology to Libya. These are powerful people and they might be tempted to get rid of Dawood on their own.

The spotlight , it is feared in certain quarters, could at some stage fall on him. Every investigation has led to Dubai. British and French Intelligence officers seized computers from the home of a British businessman named as a central suspect in the network supplying Libya, Iran and North Korea with nuclear equipment. The Guardian revealed that Peter Griffin and his son Paul spoke from Dubai where they have an office denying all involvement. But the fact to note is that they too have an office in Dubai.