Doesn’t look like we are in a democracy: Nawab Malik’s daughter

The first memory that Nilofer Malik Khan has of her father NCP leader and Minister of State for Minority Affairs Nawab Malik being an important politician, was when she was in the fifth grade.

“There used to be lal battis (red beacon) on the top of VIP cars at the time,” recalls the 37-year-old, as she spoke with The Federal a few hours before news broke about her father having been admitted to JJ Hospital on Friday afternoon.

“I remember when he came home for the first time in such a car. The way he stepped out and was surrounded by his security guards…it was very overwhelming. I had always seen something like this happen only in movies.”

Malik is currently in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till March 3 in an alleged money laundering case linked to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

On the morning of February 23, ED officials visited Nawab Malik’s home in Kurla and took the scrap dealer-turned-politician to their office in Ballard Estate where he was questioned for nearly six hours in regards with a property deal that he had entered into with “an aide” of fugitive and underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

According to reports, he (Malik) had bought prime property spanning 2.8 acres on LBS Marg in Kurla for a small sum of Rs 30 lakh at the time.

After being grilled, the 62-year-old cabinet minister was charged and consequently arrested by the ED under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Malik was later produced before special judge RN Rokade, who remanded him to the ED’s custody until March 3.

This is not the first time that Nilofer, who lives in Bandra with her husband Sameer Khan, has had to deal with a family member being arrested by a central agency. On January 13 last year, Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for alleged possession of drugs.

The NCB had charged him and five others for conspiring to procure and sell 194 kilograms of ganja—an offense that attracts up to 20 years of punishment. After spending eight months in prison, Khan was granted bail by a special NDPS court in Mumbai on September 27. The court ordered him to furnish a surety of Rs 50,000 and also imposed certain conditions while granting bail.

However, on January 1, 2022, the NCB filed an appeal in the Bombay HC seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Khan. The High Court is yet to hear the case.

Also read: ED arrests Nawab Malik for ‘links’ with Dawood, seeks 14-day custody

The tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra comprising of the Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP, have been at loggerheads with the BJP-led Centre over the past few months, accusing it of misusing central agencies to pressurise and intimidate those who were in the Opposition.

Malik is one of the ministers belonging to the coalition who has been highly vocal against the saffron party. Earlier, when Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son was arrested in the Cordelia Cruise drugs case, Malik had taken it upon himself to lock horns with the then-zonal director of NCB (Mumbai) Sameer Wankhede and called the entire bust fake and fabricated; the minister also presented various proofs, including Wankhede’s caste and birth documents, which then prompted agencies to pursue an investigation into them.

Speaking about the morning of February 23, when ED officials visited her father’s home in Kurla and later took him in for questioning, Nilofer said: “One of my aunts, who lives in the same building (in Kurla) happened to call me and said something unusual was happening. She said that she could sense what was going on was not correct and asked me to call my mother so as to understand properly what was happening. I called her (mother) and she told me that there was nothing to worry about and that the ED officials had come as they wanted to ask my father a few questions. She told me that my father, accompanied by my brother (Advocate Amir Malik) had gone along with them in their car to the office. I called him (my father) several times but he didn’t answer and after some time he finally took my call. There was no summon on him so (legally) he could take the call. I asked him what is happening and he told me that they (ED) had come home and they had conducted a brief search They had not found anything and they wanted to question him about a few things. He said there was nothing to worry about. I asked if he had been summoned and he said no. I asked him if they (ED) had a warrant and he said no. We spoke in code. I am saying all of this now because it is very obvious that I need to open up on what happened. He (my father) told me not to panic and that he would be back home soon.”

“I went to the ED’s office thrice, saying I am his daughter and I need to know what is happening. I also wrote a letter to the officials and sent it by speed post, as well as wrote an email and sent them a fax. Our lawyers had advised me to inform them (ED) that I was waiting outside and was not being allowed inside, and that we should have proof of what happened there that day. Eventually, I saw my brother walking towards me. I ran towards him and he told me that they have arrested dad. This came as a shock for us. I couldn’t believe it. But let’s not forget that the same thing had happened with my husband too. We know how these agencies work. How well they can fabricate. We have gone through this grind so we know exactly how it is. We are all educated—and tried and tested. I have immense faith in the judiciary. I am sure he (my father) will get justice.”

When Malik was brought to court after being arrested by the ED, Nilofer, who was already at the premises, managed to briefly meet her father as he stepped out from the ED’s vehicle.

The father-daughter duo shared an emotional moment. A crying Nilofer kissed her father’s hand and she then raised her clenched fist as a sign of support.

“That is how I met him after the arrest for the first time,” she told The Federal. After the brief meeting with her father, Nilofer said in a tweet: “Some superheroes don’t wear capes. They are called Dad.”

Some superheroes don't wear capes. They are called Dad."#NawabMalikMyHero #NawabMalik #WeStandWithNawabMalik

— Nilofer Malik Khan (@nilofermk) February 23, 2022

Speaking to reporters in December 2021, Malik had said that the ED should stop defaming the Maharashtra government.

“From the last few days, ED officials have been giving reporters information that raids will take place at Nawab Malik’s house,” he said, adding that even BJP leader Kirit Somaiya was saying that ED officials would visit his home in regards to another matter. “Instead of coming to my home, they (ED) should tell me when to come and I myself will be ready to go their office.”

“We were getting different kinds of information and news back then,” said Nilofer. “My father had told me that I should be careful because we had already faced a fake case on my husband in our past. That is why he was always saying to be careful and cautious…he said that we are trying to fight a battle. The way things are happening, it doesn’t look like we are in a democracy anymore. It is evident. Very evident.”

When asked about what does the “battle” look like from here on while Malik is in custody, she said: “I have immense faith in the judiciary and I am sure he will get justice…the way he (father) was aggressively speaking, people kept telling us that we are inviting trouble…but we were fearless. We said if we have not done anything wrong there is nothing to be afraid of. We have fought one case and come out of it. My father always told me that they will make another fake case and that we will fight it…we will not keep quiet this time. It is not just about you and me but about the country. We knew somewhere that we might need to face the music but we never thought that it would be dad.”

When asked why had there been several cases cropping against her Malik over the span of his political tenure, Nilofer said: “Because he’s not in the BJP. Why is there not a single minister or an MLA or a corporator (belonging to the BJP) whose homes are not being visited by the ED, NCB, CBI, or IT? A BJP minister’s son runs a car over five farmers and then gets bail so easily—so what democracy are we talking about? And what cases are we talking about? Let’s face facts here.”

Nilofer says that her family has been staying strong. “We all know this is a political vendetta…but we should not forget that my father has put so much power in us. He has taught me how to fight my battles. My mother is very godly…we are praying. She knows that this is something that he (my father) will come out of soon. We belong to a political family; we know that this is a part and parcel of things.”