India has accused a United Nations special rapporteur of making serious factual errors in a report that stated fugitive crime boss Dawood Ibrahim was residing in India, insisting that he remains in Pakistan.
Raghu Puri, first secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, challenged the report by UN special rapporteur Ben Saul, submitted in July, arguing that Ibrahim had fled India long before he was listed by the UN Security Council in 2003 over his alleged links to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
Puri said Ibrahim remains one of India’s most-wanted criminals and claimed that, according to UN records, he is living in the same country where bin Laden was found and killed. His remarks pointed to Pakistan, specifically the garrison town of Abbottabad, where US forces killed the al-Qaeda leader in 2011.
India has long accused Pakistan of providing safe haven to militants involved in attacks on Indian soil, including the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Puri alleged that Pakistani authorities had taken action against such figures only when faced with international pressure.
He also criticised the report’s description of the 2003 UN sanctions listing, saying it failed to adequately explain that Ibrahim and his criminal network, known as D-Company, had been wanted in India in connection with terrorist attacks dating back to 1993.
“The report contains clear and glaring errors concerning my country,” Puri said, calling for accountability over what he described as unprofessional conduct and a lack of competence.
Puri further expressed concern over what he characterised as bias in parts of the report and urged UN officials to uphold the highest standards of integrity and impartiality.
He accused Pakistan of using human rights and counterterrorism frameworks to deflect attention from its alleged support for terrorism. He also dismissed Pakistan’s statements against India at the United Nations as politically motivated propaganda.
Reiterating New Delhi’s position on the disputed territories, Puri said Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, and would remain, integral parts of India.
The dispute highlights continuing tensions between India and Pakistan over cross-border terrorism and competing allegations at international forums.
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