INDIA 🔗 Part of: Indian Government Actions and Policy Developments (29) · 23 Oct 2026 · 03:32 GMT ·2 min read

India Challenges UN Report Over 'India-Based' Label for Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company

India formally rejected a UN report describing Dawood Ibrahim’s criminal network, "D-Company," as an India-based group.

NEUTRALITY 83 · BALANCED· 3 sources

The Hindu National

India formally rejected a UN report describing Dawood Ibrahim’s criminal network, "D-Company," as an India-based group. Raghoo Puri, First Secretary at India’s permanent mission to the UN, called the description a "glaring inaccuracy" on October 21, 2026, during a session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee. New Delhi maintains that Ibrahim fled the country before his 2003 UN listing. India states he has operated from Pakistan since that time, where he remains linked to Al-Qaeda. The report, released in July 2026, aimed to distinguish organized crime from terrorism.

Context

Dawood Ibrahim and his criminal organization, "D-Company," have remained central to Indian security concerns since the 1993 Mumbai blasts. India has consistently asserted that Ibrahim resides in Pakistan since the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

In September 2026, Harish Parvathaneni, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, addressed the body. He stated that both bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were discovered in populated areas of Pakistan. These events underpin India's diplomatic objection to a July 2026 report by UN special rapporteur Ben Saul. The report, titled "Distinguishing organized crime from terrorism to protect human rights," labeled "D-Company" as an "India-based" group. New Delhi rejected this characterization as a factual error.

Supportive perspectives

India’s rebuttal emphasizes that the UN’s own 1267 sanctions regime listing for D-Company contradicts the report's current narrative. According to Indian officials, the sanctions listing supports the fact that Ibrahim was listed for association with Al Qaida and Osama bin Laden after he had fled India, well before 2003. while operating outside of India, rather than from within its borders.
New Delhi advocates for a more rigorous and non-selective approach to international human rights mechanisms. Barkha Tamrakar, deputy secretary in the ministry of external affairs, noted that while India engages with these processes, it requires engagement based on dialogue, consultation, cooperation, non-selectivity and transparency.

Critical perspectives

United Nations (UN) special rapporteurs work independently of the UN. Their reports do not represent an official UN position.
Ben Saul, a United Nations Special Rapporteur, authored the report 'Distinguishing organized crime from terrorism to protect human rights.' These rapporteurs receive no direct compensation for their work.
India rejected several recent UN human rights reports. The government labeled an October 2026 report on a satirical political movement as hearsay.