India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Syed Akbaruddin, on July 9, at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meet, highlighted the link between terrorism and organised crime and explained how the co-existence and mutation of the two can pose a major threat to international peace and security, reports Zee News. Syed Akbaruddin said, “In our region, we have seen the mutation of Dawood Ibrahim’s criminal syndicate into a terrorist network known as the D-Company. D-Company’s illegitimate economic activities may be little known outside, but for us, such activities as gold smuggling, counterfeit currency, arms and drug trafficking from a safe haven that declines to acknowledge even his existence, are a real and present danger.”
“Success of collective action to denude ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) is a pointer that Council’s focused attention can and does yield results. A similar degree of interest in addressing threats posed by proscribed individuals, such as Dawood Ibrahim and his D-Company as well as proscribed entities, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba, listed as affiliates of Al-Qaeda, under the 1267 sanctions regime, will serve all of us well,” said the senior diplomat. Akbaruddin was speaking at an open debate on 'Threats to International Peace and Security: Linkages between International Terrorism and Organised Crime'.