New Delhi objects to UN rapporteur calling D-Company an India-based group

India has firmly rejected a United Nations report that described fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company as an India-based criminal group. Raghoo Puri, First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the UN, raised the strong objection on Wednesday in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. He responded directly to a report presented by Ben Saul, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

Rebuttal And Details

Mr. Puri flagged glaring inaccuracies in the report and cautioned that such incompetence causes tremendous harm to the global body. He noted that the report mentioned the UN Security Council listing the leader of the India-based D-Company in 2003 for links with Al-Qaeda, but left out crucial context. According to Mr. Puri, Dawood Ibrahim fled India long before that 2003 listing and directed his activities from outside the country. He pointed out that the criminal group and its leader have been wanted in India for terror attacks since 1993, and that the UN Security Council's 1267 sanctions regime narrative summary clearly states this.

Broader Concerns

Mr. Puri also stated that the listed individual resides in the exact same country where Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed. He criticized special mandate holders for releasing flawed reports without facing accountability, noting that this situation presents member states with a fait accompli while the organization already faces challenges to its legitimacy.

Context

UN special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine specific country situations or thematic issues. Member states frequently engage with these reports during General Assembly committee meetings to contest factual errors or legal interpretations.