Getting Dawood can be Modi's greatest victory

Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is to India what terrorist Osama bin Laden was to the US. While the US was able to eliminate Laden within ten years of the 9/11 attack, India has failed to reach anywhere near Dawood even 22 years after the serial blasts that rocked Mumbai on March 12, 1993 killing 257 people and injuring 713.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Dawood has set up his vast business empire. National Security Adviser (NDA) Ajit Doval, who is accompanying the prime minister, is carrying with him a dossier of the underworld don's properties in UAE. The prime minister is expected to hand over the list of all benaami and other properties registered in the name of Dawood to the UAE authorities with a request to seize them.

Any breakthrough in UAE on Dawood is very crucial for Modi. It would be his greatest achievement if he is able to get the absconding terrorist, and these are the three reasons why:

1. Isolate Pakistan

So far, Pakistan, where Dawood lives and operates from, has refused to cooperate with India not only on the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, but all other terror incidents that took place subsequently, despite repeated reminders. Inspite of clinching evidence, Pakistan shamelessly denies the role of terrorists like Ajmal Kasab, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Masood Azhar. It has also so far disowned Udhampur terrorist Naved Khan who was captured earlier this month. The crew of India Today TV reached Faislabad in Pakistan and proved he was a resident of that town. In the light of these, handing over Dawood's dossier to the UAE is significant because all hopes of any action lie there. Pakistan is a gone case now. India should not expect the least from the neighbouring country. It will be a great jolt to Pakistan if the UAE acts upon Modi's request. India's dependence on Pakistan to hit Dawood's interests will get minimised and the neighbouring country will also get isolated among the Islamic countries.

2. Break Dawood's business backbone

Dawood's economic backbone will be hit hard in case the UAE seizes his assets and properties. This will adversely affect his underworld and anti-India operations. He will also get restricted to Pakistan. As a fallout of this development, a message would get conveyed to other forces bent upon harming India that they can no more continue with nefarious designs without any hindrance. This will certainly have a demoralising effect on terrorists like Dawood's brother Anees Ibrahim and Tiger Memon, besides Dawood, who are operating out of the UAE.

3. Boost Modi's image

Back home, Modi's popularity is on the wane after BJP's defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections. His wow quotient is not the same as he completed one year in office. The washout of the Parliament's monsoon session has further dented his image and his capability to take the Opposition along. His foreign visits are also being mocked at by his rivals who allege that nothing tangible has come out of them so far. A step forward by the UAE on Dawood will certainly boost the prime minister's image and silence his critics. And if it happens anytime soon, it will be advantage BJP in the upcoming Bihar elections.