In the Dawood Ibrahim money laundering case, Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik has been sent to 14-day judicial custody by the special PMLA court in Mumbai. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sent Malik to custody till March 7. The ED had arrested Malik on February 23 in a money laundering case involving fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates.
After his arrest, Malik, 62, Minister of Minority Affairs in the Maharashtra government and spokesperson of the NCP, was sent to 8-day ED custody. However, on Thursday, his custody was extended to March 7. ED officials had said that Malik had links with people linked to the 1993 Mumbai bombings. The agency says that this investigation is related to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, his associates and the Mumbai underworld.
Sharad Pawar said – Malik’s arrest was politically motivated
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said Malik’s arrest was politically motivated and that his name was being linked to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim for being a Muslim. Pawar also rejected the opposition’s demand for Malik’s resignation. The NCP chief said, “Malik’s arrest is politically motivated. His name is being associated with Dawood Ibrahim because he is a Muslim. Malik and his family members are being deliberately harassed, but we will fight against it.”
To a question about the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in the state seeking Malik’s resignation, Pawar said different standards were being adopted on Malik and Union Minister Narayan Rane. Significantly, Rane is a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. “I don’t remember that our (Congress) former party worker Narayan Rane had to resign after his recent arrest. Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is coming to Pune tomorrow. He can give more details on this. Different criteria for Rane and different criteria for Malik shows that it is politically motivated.