Dawood puts off reception for son

Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim has postponed the wedding reception of his son, Moin, which was scheduled for next week. Dawood is busy trying to protect himself in Pakistan and trace those involved in the shooting incident outside his brother’s house in Mumbai last week.

Sources close to the Dawood family here said he has been going through a tough time since al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden’s death. While India has demanded that Dawood be handed over to them, a shoot-out at the main gate of his younger brother, Iqbal Kaskar’s residence, has left the don puzzled. Kaskar was not present at the spot but his bodyguard, Arif Bael, was killed in the attack.

“We have learned that the nikah will take place as per schedule on May 27, Friday, an auspicious day for Muslims. The wedding reception was to be held on May 28. However, due to the ongoing difficulties, Dawood has postponed the reception and new date for it has not been fixed,” said a source close to the Dawood family here.

Dawood, who tops the list of most wanted Indian fugitives, had escaped from Mumbai in 1984 and has never returned the city. He apparently lives in a 20,000 sq ft bungalow in Karachi’s Clifton Road area. The bungalow is apparently guarded by Pakistani Rangers and monitored by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.

Dawood’s eldest daughter, Maahrukh, married Pakistan’s former cricketer, Javed Miandad’s son Junaid in 2005. His second daughter married this February.

“Dawood wanted to throw a big party for Moin’s wedding since it would be the last wedding of his children. But due to the changing scenario, he is taking precautions,” the source added.

Moin will marry Benazir, a Pakistani-born Canadian, and the nikah, sources said, will take place in a mosque to avoid any serious law and order problem.

Earlier, it was stated that Dawood would bless the couple through video-conferencing, but it is not clear if he will attend the nikah.

THE BIG FAT UNDERWORLD WEDDING
Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim has put off the wedding reception of his son, Moin, which was scheduled for May 28

The nikah will take place as scheduled on May 27, Friday, an auspicious day for Muslims. It is not clear if Dawood will attend the nikah

Dawood, who tops the list of most wanted Indian fugitives, had escaped from Mumbai in 1984 and has never returned the city

He apparently lives in a 20,000 sq ft bungalow in Karachi’s Clifton Road area, apparently guarded by Pakistani Rangers and monitored by the ISI There was a shooting incident outside his brother’s residence in Mumbai recently

Sources said he has been going through a tough time since al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden’s death


The Times of India, May 23, 2011