After Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik was arrested by ED for alleged links with Dawood Ibrahim, opposition parties in the state are demanding his resignation. But despite the grave allegations, Nawab Malik is putting up a confident face. He is smiling to the cameras, showing ‘I am safe’ attitude, and overall seems confident that allegations against him will not be proved. Moreover, the Maharashtra govt and his party is also supporting him.
While answers to many of such questions remain concealed, it is clear that the MVA led Maharashtra govt and the National Congress Party (NCP) is entirely supporting Malik and has no intentions to make him resign from the Ministry. The NCP toughened its stand yesterday in the case and cleared that Malik would continue to be the Minister.
BJP’s Chandrakant Patil and Devendra Fadnavis yesterday had demanded that Malik should resign on March 3, today as Maharahstra’s Budget Session began and said that the party would not allow the legislature to function until Malik resigned. State NCP President and Minister Jayant Patil then affirmed that though Malik was being alleged of his involvement in the Dawood Ibrahim case, he would not leave his Ministerial position. “No resignation means no resignation”, he stated.
Today, yet again, Devendra Fadnavis launched a blistering attack on MVA led govt and stated that the state government was dedicated to terrorist and gangster Dawood Ibrahim. He added that the MVA was being sympathetic towards those who helped Dawood and his aides, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.
Condemning the decision to retain Nawab Malik as a minister in the govt, Fadnavis said, “For the first time in Maharashtra, a minister is behind bars but his resignation hasn’t been taken. This government is coming together to save people who keep relations with Dawood. That’s why we have started protests and we demand that his resignation be taken immediately,” he added.
For the first time in Maharashtra, a minister (Nawab Malik) is behind bars but his resignation hasn’t been taken. This is unexpected. He hasn’t been jailed for a small matter, he’s accused of dealing with family of Dawood Ibrahim: Devendra Fadnavis, LoP in Maharashtra Assembly pic.twitter.com/ZPZkIevJXa
— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2022
The allegations posed by the ED against Malik are serious but the approach of NCP and Malik seems to be informal and uninhibited in the case. The ‘Malik saga’ actually kicked off when the ED arrested him in the case pertaining to a PMLA instance related to elements linked to Dawood Ibrahim and the underworld. There were reports saying that Malik was involved in the Hawala transfers operated by Dawood Ibrahim.
On February 15, the ED had conducted multiple raids in South Mumbai in connection with a money laundering case against the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. Close to 9 places in Mumbai and 1 in Thane had been raided including the residences of Dawood Ibrahim’s late sister Haseena Parkar and brother Iqbal Kaskar.
The agency later took into custody Iqbal Kaskar on February 19 and presented him before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court. Also, the National Investigation Agency had said that Dawood Ibrahim was planning to launch terror attacks in India and that he was transferring funds through Hawala channels to provide financial help to all those involved in a planned attack. Nawab Malik’s name appeared in the process of investigation after the intelligence inputs directed the agency to look into the Hawala transactions while probing a money laundering case against Ibrahim, Iqbal Mirchi, Chhota Shakeel, Parkar and Javed Chikna.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis last week reiterated the linkages between Nawab Malik in a money-laundering probe linked to 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Dawood Ibrahim. He alleged that Malik had purchased land worth rupees crores for just Rs 30 lakhs from 1993 bomb blasts accused Sardar Shahwali Khan and Sardar Patel, an aide of Dawood’s sister Haseena Parkar.
Earlier in November 2021 also, Fadnavis had exposed Malik and said that he and his family had bought land parcels from people linked with the underworld. The ED in the investigation process happened to learn that Malik had actually purchased land worth Rs 3 crores in the year 2005 from Haseena Parkar at Rs 30 lakhs. The sale deed was deliberately made to look like the cost of the land was Rs 30 lakhs when the practical cost transacted was at Rs 85 lakhs. The market value of the land today is around Rs 300 crores.
The ED quizzed Nawab Malik for 7 to 8 hours on the day he was arrested, but to no avail. Later ED on March 1, issued summons to his son Faraz Malik as Nawab Malik did not cooperate to the investigation process. It was later found by the agency that Faraz Malik had a major role to play in the land deal. The ED while probing into the land transaction between Nawab Malik and Hassena Parker, found that Faraz Malik had paid the required amount in cash to satisfy the deal.
Dawood Ibrahim money laundering case | Enforcement Directorate summons Faraz Malik, son of NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik
— ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2022
Nawab Malik had bought Kurla’s Goawala Compound property at Rs 85 lakhs and had asked Faraz Malik to pay Rs 55 lakhs in cash to Saleem Ishaq Patel who was working as a driver of Haseena Parkar. According to the reports, Parkar had given power of attorney of the land to Patel who got the deal signed by Faraz Malik. Patel was later arrested in 2007 with Parkar in a land grabbing and fraud case but no action had been taken against Malik and his son. The property deal began in 2003 and was completed by 2007.
It is important to note that, Nawab Malik has not been cooperative throughout the investigation initiated by the agency. According to the reports, he was seen waving at the public and the media with an immorally confident smile. He had also complained of kidney problems immediately after he was arrested and was shifted to JJ Hospital for treatment. However, the ED brought him back to custody after getting discharged.
#WATCH | Mumbai: NCP leader and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik being brought out of Enforcement Directorate office, to be taken for medical examination.
— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2022
He has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate in connection with Dawood Ibrahim money laundering case. pic.twitter.com/UMAVK5ZEVW
While the ED is tracing the other person involved, it has affirmed that Faraz Malik is one of the two persons who delivered Rs 55 lakhs in cash and Rs 5 lakh in a cheque to Parkar in 2005-06 for the Kurla land. Further, it becomes interesting to note that, NCP leader Sharad Pawar had specifically criticized the arrest of Nawab Malik and said that the case was being planned deliberately to harass people who have been outspoken against misuse of central agencies. Trying to give a religious angle to the situation, he had said that Malik was being targeted because he is a Muslim.
“If there is a Muslim activist who is their opponent, it is their habit to link his name to Dawood. When I was the CM of Maharashtra, they had tried to link my name with Dawood as well. This is an attempt to harass those who are speaking against the misuse of central agencies,” Pawar was quoted.
Also, AIMIM Chief Asaddudin Owaisi saw the arrest of Malik as an opportunity to further its Islamist politics. He alleged that Malik was arrested only because he was a Muslim. AIMIM MP from Maharashtra, Imtiaz Jaleel also extended support to Malik and said that nobody from the MVA alliance was actually concerned over the issue. He said that the current Deputy CM from NCP, Ajit Pawar who is accused of a massive Irrigation Scam is from NCP and he never went to jail. He reiterated that Muslims in this country cannot be linked to terrorism.
Pertinently, the serial blasts, which ripped through Mumbai on March 12, 1993 had killed around 300 people and injured over 1,400. Ninety-nine persons were convicted for the blasts under various sections of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act (TADA). Sharad Pawar who was Maharahstra’s Chief Minister during the 1993 blasts series, had invented an extra bomb blast to promote ‘secularism’ and ‘maintain harmony between Hindus and Muslims’. While there were a total of 12 blasts in the Hindu dominated areas, Pawar on the govt radio channel had announced that there were 13 blasts and that the last one (imaginary) had affected a Muslim dominated area.
22 years later, Sharad Pawar, speaking at an event during the 89th Marathi Literary Meet near Pune, Pawar admitted that he had invented a bomb blast because all actual ones had happened in Hindu areas and he feared there will be communal tension as ‘that is what Pakistan wanted’.
SHOCKING- Sharad Pawar ADMITS that he “DELIBERATELY MISLED” people during 1993 bоmbings. “Instead of 11 bоmbings I said 12- one in Masjid Bandar- a minority area- JUST TO SHOW that bоmbings are not only in Hindu Areas but also in MusIim areas”#SharadPawar pic.twitter.com/Damx7y4zNO
— Rosy (@rose_k01) December 12, 2019
The case is under investigation by the ED who is tracing all the linkages of illegal money transfers, land purchases and involvement of NCP’s Nawab Malik in the Dawood Ibrahim case. Whatever happens, it is clear by now that the NCP and the MVA led govt would stand strong behind Malik and that is what is probably accounting to Malik’s safe play in the case.
