One of India’s most wanted terrorists, Dawood Ibrahim lives in Karachi, admitted Pakistan today after denying for years that the perpetrator of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts was living a lavish life in the neighbouring country’s port city.

Dawood Ibrahim, 64, is the main accused of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts that killed 257 people and nearly 700 were injured.

India on several occasions has claimed that Dawood Ibrahim was living in Karachi and is being sheltered by the neighbouring country, the charge vehemently rejected by Pakistan. The confirmation, however, came after Islamabad issued a list of 88 banned terror groups and its leaders as part of its efforts to avoid financial sanctions for helping terrorists.  The list includes Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim. The Pakistan government has ordered seizure of all of their properties and freezing of bank accounts, PTI reported, quoting a media report on Saturday.

According to Pakistani authorities, Dawood Ibrahim’s address is “White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton” in Karachi, Pakistan. He also has other properties listed as “House Nu 37 – 30th Street – defence, Housing Authority, Karachi” and “Palatial bungalow in the hilly area of Noorabad in Karachi”.

Dawood Ibrahim, who runs the multifaceted illegal business, is among the India’s most wanted terrorists after the 1993 Mumbai bombings. The 64-year-old don, who started as a gold smuggler, is also accused of masterminding other terror attacks and faces multiple charges of money laundering and extortion. India and the US also accuse Dawood of financing terror groups including al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) put Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019, but the deadline was extended later due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The government issued two notifications on August 18 announcing sanctions on key figures of terror outfits such as 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Azhar, and underworld don Ibrahim.

The government ordered the seizure of all movable and immovable properties of these outfits and individuals, and freezing of their bank accounts, the report said.

These terrorists have been barred from transferring money through financial institutions, purchasing of arms and travelling abroad, it said.

The notifications said that leadership of the defunct TTP, and other organisations including Lashkar-e-Taiba, JeM, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Tariq Geedar group of TTP, Harkatul Mujahideen, Al Rasheed Trust, Al Akhtar Trust, Tanzim Jaish-al Mohajireen Ansar, Jamaat-ul Ahrar, Tanzim Khutba Imam Bukhari, Rabita Trust Lahore, Revival of Islamic Heritage Society of Pakistan, Al-Haramain Foundation Islamabad, Harkat Jihad Al Islami, Islami Jihad Group, Uzbekistan Islami Tehreek, Daesh of Iraq, Emirates of Tanzim Qafqaz working against Russia, and Abdul Haq of Uyghurs of Islamic Freedom Movement of China have been banned.