This morning I mentioned the difficulty Pakistan would have in turning over senior leaders from the Lashkar-e-Taiba, as the group has essentially become a state within the Pakistani state. Today, India expert Shlok Vaidya said Pakistan has the same problem dealing Dawood Ibrahim, the South Asian mafia don whose network is intertwined with terror groups throughout the region.

Unfortunately, the Pakistani state can’t take him out without incurring the wrath of Dawood’s network, which is extensively linked to every major terror outfit in the region and has played a prominent role in major attacks. In short, Dawood is to black globalization what AQ Khan was to nuclear proliferation (also a Pakistani resident).

This is the same challenge Pakistan faces across the board, especially with regards to LeT [Lashkar-e-Taiba]- the functioning state has been essentially slaved to its various nonstate elements. This is why Zardari has been forced to act as the mouthpiece for both his functioning state and the nonfunctioning areas that killed his wife - any other action results in his immediate failure. Musharraf faced the same dynamic.

"Black globalization" is defined as "the direct use of the black market for anti-state and competing state action."

There is one more problem that Pakistan has with turning over the likes of Ibrahim and other terror leaders. If the Pakistani government is seen to be caving to the demands of India, this would be political suicide for President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani, and the Pakistan Peoples Party.