A classified report prepared by Indian intelligence agencies, a copy of which is with this newspaper, mentions the presence of fugitive mafia don Dawood Ibrahim’s close business associates at the wedding reception of his son, Moin Nawaz, in Karachi on September 25, 2011.
Intelligence sources said that though the bulk of the money in Dawood’s “`20,000-crore” business empire still comes from hawala transactions, narcotics smuggling and gun-running, he has been making efforts to invest his money in legitimate businesses using fake identities and front companies. Two key men helping Dawood in this are “Afsar Ali” and his Dubai-based brother, “Noor Ali”, according to the report. The two also attended the wedding. Afsar Ali is primarily a chartered accountant and a key player at the Karachi Stock Exchange.
The brothers have floated a company called “Qureshi Shopping Mart” that invests in shopping malls and hotels in Dubai and Sharjah.
They have also invested in the “Shanghai Clothing Company”, a Shanghai-based unit that exports clothes.
Two other front companies are “Al-Hatf Construction Company” and “Al-Hatf Frozen Foods”. While one is involved in the construction business, the other supplies frozen meat products.
Another key business associate present at the wedding was “Jumed Usmani”, owner of “A-One Construction Company” in Karachi. Dawood is said to have invested heavily in his firm.
“Key Projects Pvt. Ltd”, owned by one “Dr Javed Qasim”, is also suspected to be the don’s front company. Dawood is said to have used his clout with the Pakistan government to get this company several important infrastructure projects in PoK.
Also spotted at the walima, as per the report, was Sheikh Muhammed Khalid, who runs a chain of restaurants and hotels in Pakistan and the Gulf countries on Dawood’s behalf. “Rehman Suleiman” and “Abdur Wahab”, whose Karachi-based finance company “Best Deals” is allegedly used by Dawood to launder money, were also there.
Dawood did not allow any photography or videography of the event.
“Our information is that some more officers from the Pakistan Army and security establishment were present at the reception but even our sources could not identify all of them as they were in civilian clothes,” said a top Indian intelligence official.