Author: Josy Joseph
Publication: The Times of India
Date: August 10, 2004
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/809078.cms
The handsome young Nepali of Kashmiri-descent
has a captivating smile, and an enchanting sense of hospitality. That is
if you are able to meet him.
In all likelihood, Jamim Shah would
be quite busy these days, answering uncomfortable questions than tending
to his guests. The Indian government has officially asked Nepal to investigate
the emerging media mogul's links to Dawood Ibrahim, specifically to assert
that the D- Company has heavily invested in Shah's media empire in the
Himalayan kingdom.
Shah is an interesting, yet mysterious,
young man with a bad command over English and a fast expanding media empire
in Nepal. He owns over 1,000 kilometres of cable network, a newspaper and
a television channel among others. According to the Indian government,
Dawood Ibraham has heavily invested in the ventures and Shah is only a
caretaker for the Karachi-based Mumbai don who was declared a global terrorist
by the US authorities recently.
The Indian embassy in its letter
last week to Nepal government said it had "credible information" that Dawood
has heavily invested in Shah's ventures and asked for an immediate investigation.
The allegations are not new, but it is probably for the first time that
India is claiming that it has such concrete evidence.
In December 2000, when Kathmandu
was in the grip of anti-India strife and violence because of anti-Nepal
remarks allegedly by Hrithik Roshan, Indian intelligence agencies were
quick to point out that it was drummed up by Shah's newspaper and network.
Shah's Space Time Network blocked off Indian channels even as the violence
was spreading, and so denials issued by Hrithik Roshan did not reach Nepal
in time. Precious seven lives were lost and yet another new year in the
tourist destination was ruined.
Shah was emphatic when he denied
any wrong on his part during a long interview this correspondent had with
him on a rain-swept evening at his office in Kathmandu. The man laughed
and often kept poker face while denying being in a Pakistani jail, or being
Dawood's front man, or even a smuggler. His mother's sudden death, Shah
said in tears, was because of such allegations by India and his business
rivals.
This descendent of a respected Kashmiri
family presented himself as a hardworking young man from a privileged background,
with dreams in his eyes and contacts in right places. Shah's business ambitions
had started in a fashion shop, when he was still in college. It was a rare
occasion when Shah sat down with a journalist for such a long chat.
Those days, Indian officials were
evasive about the kind of details they had on Shah.
But last week's letter to Nepal
government indicates that Indian agencies may have managed irrefutable
evidence to nail Shah. In the post-9/11 scenario and due to its heavy dependence
on India, Nepal government cannot just ignore the Indian demand for detailed
investigations against Shah. But it may not be easy to nail Shah, given
the fact that he has friends far and wide in Nepal, and even within the
palace.
