New Delhi, November 12
Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari, better known as Abu Salem, made a cardinal mistake which proved to be his undoing: he attracted the attention of the post 9/11 United States.

He caught the eye of the American security and intelligence agencies when he started distress sale of his massive properties in the US immediately after 9/11 when the Americans were on the highest state of alert, security sources said today.

Abu Salem's steady ascension in D Company did not bother international terror-busters. The March 12, 1993 Mumbai blasts and the unravelling of Abu Salem's role in this carnage made him a household name, but only in India. The Westerners were unaffected. His falling apart with Dawood and his eventual enmity with the don did not set the Atlantic Ocean on fire. His getting married to Bollywood moll Monica Bedi — a few films' wonder — was inconsequential for the Western sleuths. All these developments have been lapped up by the Indian media which obviously gave Abu Salem a larger-than-life image.

But there is something he did which caught the attention of the "international community" (read the United States). As the mainland security in America was being tightened after 9/11 and a great number of restrictions were being put on foreigners, especially those coming from Pakistan and the Arab world, Abu Salem decided to keep off the USA. So, he started selling his properties worth millions of dollars at throwaway prices.

Indian agencies, which were keeping in touch with FBI officials, gave valuable intelligence to the Americans regarding Abu Salem. Since 9/11, Abu Salem was one among hundreds of thousands who were to be subjected to random probe.

He could have been arrested in the USA itself in the wake of his distress sales had the FBI been vehement about it. But probably they did not have enough evidence against him. Or probably they were aware of his growing links with Al-Qaida and they wanted to set up a trap for their quarry for garnering more information.

Abu Salem's activities can be broadly summed up as follows:

(i) Used to be a prominent henchman of Dawood Ibrahim and was in charge of D company's havala transactions till he split from Dawood.

(ii) Involved in the Mehsana RDX recovery case of December 1997.

(iii) Involved in the Gulshan Kumar murder case of August 1997, number DCP/CID, CR no 71/97.

(iv) Detained by the Dubai police in a cheating case .

INTERPOL Red Corner Alert Notice Number: A-103/3-1995

Abu Salem owned a business establishment in the name of "Kings of Car Trading" in Dubai (telephone numbers 350240 and 350035). He owned a Mercedes car with a registration number Dubai 4781. A case was registered against Salem in Dubai in the nineties for which he was arrested and later set free on bail.

He went to Pakistan in mid-1997 for making arrangements for the marriage of Dawood Ibrahim's brother Humayun.

Later, he went for Umrah with his family. Meanwhile, Dawood was able to persuade the Dubai authorities and the case was withdrawn. Salem returned to Dubai from Karachi in March 1998.

Like Chhota Shakeel, Abu Salem was one of the most trusted lieutenants of Dawood before his split with the don. The CBI's case, among other things, is that during the Mumbai blasts, Salem is supposed to have been the one who took weapons to Sanjay Dutt's house.

Salem is a notorious hitman. His name figures in the murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar. Vikram Vahi, alias Vicky, who was the one who actually pressed the trigger on instructions of Salem, was himself killed by Salem in Nepal.

Abu Salem was in close contact with the late Mirza Dilshad Beg, MP of Nepal, and used to direct him over the telephone to carry out activities of D company in Nepal. Salem owns two villas in Dubai of which one is used as residence and the other as a guest house. He is also a prominent drug smuggler who featured in the operation of Iqbal Mirchi having a lucrative network in the CIS and European countries.

Abu Salem commanded an amazing network of his own henchmen who performed jobs as diverse as keeping a vigil on the crime branch officers, carrying out havala transactions, spotting targets for extortions, clandestine supply of weapons and collecting intelligence about the activities of top builders and businessmen so that they can be more effectively coerced into paying up money to the gangsters.

New Delhi, November 12
The Mumbai Special Court’s missive to the CBI on “conditional” production of underworld don Abu Salem before it, on the question of punishment has kicked up a debate in legal circles, whether judiciary could be bound by an executive order on the award of sentence to him in a heinous crime like 1993 serial blasts being tried under TADA, which prescribes death penalty for an act of terror and mass killings.

Various eminent lawyers, though, are of the view that under international law and India’s treaty with Portugal, the country was bound by the conditions and assurance given by the government that Salem would not be awarded capital punishment, if found guilty.

But they are unanimous in their view that court’s power to hear any case could not be made subject to any condition or executive order.

Senior advocates R K Jain and P N Leki are of the view that the assurance and the conditions will become operational only after the role of the courts in deciding the case is over, as President has been empowered under the Constitution to pardon an accused or commute his capital punishment into life sentence.

Both of them said there was nothing wrong in giving assurance by the Indian Government to Portugal as it was part of international relations between the two countries recognised by International law. Mr Lekhi said “Under Article 51 of the Constitution, which deals with the promotion of international peace and security, India was bound to follow the assurance as part of extradition conditions. There is no conflict between the executive’s directive and the functioning of the judiciary in this regard.”

He said the Special Judge was not right in putting such a question to the CBI.

But at the same time it has to be borne in mind that trial in a case could not be restricted to any condition. “The judge has to decide the case as per the laid down law and the procedure,” he said.

Similar views were expressed by noted lawyer K K Venugopal, who says that the courts are not bound under the law to make its hearing subject to any condition made by the executive to the Portugal Government, but the powers of clemency vested with the President will take care of such a commitment.

However, another senior advocate K.T.S Tulsi went a step further and said that the courts are bound by the Indian Government’s assurance to Portugal. He is of the view that all courts in the country were bound by the undertaking given by India to Portugal.

The assurance was not given by the CBI to any executive authority of Portugal but to the courts which heard the extradition case, he said, adding that the courts in India have to honour the assurance given in extradition proceedings to their counterparts in a foreign country. But all the legal experts were of the view that international commitments have to be honoured by every country to tackle the menace of terrorism, which has attained dangerous proportions posing a biggest threat to the world today.

New Delhi, November 12
The interrogation of Abu Salem, key suspect in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blast case, is likely to unravel his as well other underworld dons' links with Bollywood. He was arrested in Portugal and extradited to Mumbai along with is wife Monica Bedi by the CBI.

He was extradited to India on the basis of eight cases registered with the various investigating agencies. Of them, three cases are registered with the CBI, three with the Delhi police and two with the Mumbai police related to alleged murder.

Abu Salem, who was a close accomplice of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was remanded in CBI custody till November 22. He is being questioned by the Special Task Force. The main thrust of the interrogators is to know his role in the distribution of weapons and explosives used in the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai which claimed 257 lives and injured 1,400 people. A joint director-level officer has also joined the CBI team to interrogate Salem.

Mumbai, November 12
The CBI today began interrogating underworld don Abu Salem, extradited from Portugal and arrested for his alleged complicity in 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, with the central intelligence agencies likely to join the CBI in the probe soon.

The CBI started interrogating Salem at an undisclosed place in south Mumbai in the afternoon, where a team of interrogators started with the routine procedure of recording the history of the gangster, CBI sources said.

“We will record every thing, from his past, before taking to crime, to his present status, so that our other teams start analysing it and prepare an interrogation strategy for the coming days,” they said.

A team of senior CBI officials was giving final touches to a questionnaire prepared to quiz Salem, which he would be asked to answer in writing. In case the gangster expressed unwillingness to reply in writing, the same would be recorded indepth by the interrogators, they added.

“We are not in a hurry to interrogate him. The details of his involvement and the evidences to substantiate are already with us. What we plan to do is find out more intricate details from Salem, which may help us explore corroborative evidence in the case,” the sources said.

A team of doctors yesterday examined Salem as part of the routine medical examination. Salem has been charged under TADA and will be in the CBI custody till November 23.

Defence lawyer Majeed Memon said from the material placed before the court the involvement of Salem in the conspiracy did not come to light because he was not present in all four conspiracy meetings held at Hotel Taj Mahal in Mumbai, Al-Husseni building (residence of accused Tiger Memon), in a flat in suburban Bandra and in Dubai.

The only evidence against Salem, as of now, was the confessional statements of co-accused, which had been retracted, Memon said.

However, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said much would depend on what Salem disclosed to the CBI about his alleged role in the 1993 bomb blasts during interrogation.” We have evidence against him and the CBI would lead evidence at an appropriate stage.”

According to the CBI, the serial blasts were masterminded by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who executed the explosions through his close lieutenants — Mohammed Mustaffa, Tiger Memon and Abu Salem.

Eighty five accused, including actor Sanjay Dutt, are on bail. Thirty others are in custody. Twenty eight more were discharged from the case while 10 died during the trial. More than 20, including Dawood Ibrahim, Mohammed Dossa and Tiger Memon, are still absconding. — PTI

Sarai Mir, November 12
Despite vehemently denying any connection with their wayward son, members of Abu Salem’s family reportedly quietly left town at dawn to board a train from Shahganj to take them to their son.

According to a neighbour speaking on condition of strict confidentiality, Abu Salem’s old mother, and two brothers left Sarai Mir very early this morning. While he confirmed that they had gone to Delhi to the CBI office from where they may proceed to Mumbai where Abu Salem is under CBI remand for the next 12 days. He could not confirm if the family were in fact behind the dramatic appearance of a lawyer on behalf of Abu Salem at the CBI court in Mumbai on Friday.

The neighbour who claims to have “played with baby Abu Salem” maintained that for people who know him and remember him well it is very difficult to believe the persona that is being presented by the media. “He was a normal teenager, very well-mannered and humorous when he left for Mumbai with his cousin”.

What the neighbour confirmed that Abu Salem had no regular education and only went to a madarsa for a few years before he started assisting his uncle at his shop. No one recalls him working at any garage or indulging in any anti-social activity while in Sarai Mir.

The anger with the media is very visible. Abu Salem’s 16-year old nephew Mohammad Arif Ansari who this reporter met outside their palatial mansion on Saturday morning point blank refused to divulge any details about his family. “Why do you want to talk to us when you will go and right exactly what you please”, he retorted. He is the son of Abu Salem’s eldest brother Abu Hakim, popularly known as Chunchun miyan.

This class 12 biology student of Children High Secondary School in Azamgarh, wants to become a doctor and be of some help to people. He has never met his uncle as he was born after the uncle’s last visit to town. While he refused to confirm if his father, uncle or grand mother were present in the house, or any other information regarding the occupants of the building. However, there were clothes drying on the clothline confirming that there were young children and women inside the house.

The only point he confirmed is that his grand mother was very upset to hear the news of his uncle’s deportation. “Please try to understand, he may be a international criminal for you people but he is a son for him”.

What is clear that half the population in his native town have never seen Abu Salem as according to neighbour Saeed Khan he last visited Sarai Mir in 1984 at the time of his uncle’s death. The younger generation has grown up on the stories fed by the media, which the family and those who know him find difficult to believe.

Some say he was a driver here before he left, others have even shown photographs of a motor garage where he worked before he left, what can we do but just refuse to be part of this charade said the nephew bitterly.

Some reporters have written that every child in Mir Sarai is carrying a photograph of Abu Salem in their pockets, do you see anything like that, says Arif.

Giving an inkling to the trauma the family is facing, the nephew said that the picture the media was presenting as if life in this town revolved around the man who has not even visited this place for more than two decades. Life goes on here much on its own.

New Delhi, November 12
Over a fortnight into her new assignment as Director UNESCO, in New Delhi office and UNESCO representative to India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives, Ms Minja Yang is brimming with ideas.

“This is my dream job. I’m here really to learn from the Indian experience. My journalist husband, Roland-Pieere Parignaux and I are crazy about India,” says the half Japanese, half Korean former Deputy Director, World Heritage Centre in Paris who has succeeded Professor Tawfik here.

Ms Yang brings with her the experience of dealing with various world heritage issues and has visited India several times in the past 10 years as Coordinator of World heritage sites. She has worked in UNESCO for 17 years.

“Before that, I was working with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).”

In an exclusive interview to The Tribune at Dilli Haat here on Friday, Ms Yang said that she was an Indophile and had always wanted to work in India. Citing reasons for India as a choice of posting, Ms Yang said: “First of all, how many countries are there in the world with the cultural and natural heritage of India. Working here is not just challenging but enriching personally as well.”

Ms Jang is convinced of India’s vast potential. “India has an amazing wealth of human resources but there is still a lot to be done to replicate some good work for an international organisation like UNESCO. The concept of open school for distance education in India is worth replicating. The Indian people are very concerned about their heritage and pass on this knowledge to the next generation.”

Ms Jang found time on Friday noon to interact with school children at Dilli Haat after the launch of four books designed by the Dastkari Haat Samiti, a national association of artisans, to acquaint young readers with the lives of the children of rural artisans. Conceptualised by social and political activist and founder President of the Dastkaari Haat Samiti, the books tell stories of children belonging to families of rural artisans through creation of fictional characters. The books have been published by Penguin with a small grant from UNESCO.

Commenting on the inititive of the Samiti, Ms Jang said these books were rooted in local tradition.

“The weavers have a mathematical brain. To be able to make an intricate pattern is meaningful use of mathematics. Education is not an end to itself but a tool to ensure a quality of life.”

Asked how she plans to strengthen the UNESCO office in Delhi, Ms Yang said that she would strengthen partnership with non government organisations, governments and local authorities. “I would like very much to work with local authorities and to have experimental activities in collaboration with districts.”

Ms Yang said the United Nations, as a whole, was undergoing reforms. “With more and more emergencies, a lot of international donor attention has turned to emergency relief.”

A post-graduate from the University of London with a background in development sociology and political science from George Town, Washington D.C., the UNESCO Director in New Delhi wants people to view issues in a certain cultural context.