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---
tags: ["Person", "Arms Dealer", "Pakistan", "BCCI"]
---
Asaf Ali is a Pakistani multimillionaire and arms dealer, closely associated with [[Agha Hasan Abedi]] and the [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]]. He is described as a key figure in the Middle Eastern arms business, often brokering deals that involved governments and intelligence agencies.[^1]
Ali was known for his ability to make things happen in the arms trade, particularly when principals in a transaction preferred not to be seen doing business together. He was deeply involved in BCCI's operations, which facilitated arms sales, drug trafficking, and money laundering on a global scale.[^2]
### Role in Arms Deals
Ali was the agent for [[Dassault]], the French Mirage factory, and was instrumental in the sale of Mirage jets to [[Pakistan]], [[Abu Dhabi]], and [[Libya]].[^3] He also brokered the sale of forty-nine Mirage 2000s to [[India]] and arranged for a similar number of new and used Mirages for Pakistan.[^4] His involvement extended to other significant arms transactions, including the sale of OE-40 Mark 2 main battle tanks from Italian manufacturer [[Oto Melarato]] to Abu Dhabi, S-23 150mm artillery guns from [[North Korea]] for [[Dubai]], and ASTROS II battlefield multiple-rocket launchers from [[Brazil]] to both [[Iran]] and [[Iraq]].[^5]
He was also involved in the sale of Argentine TAM battle tanks to Iran in 1989, and supplied Iraq with French-made Roland antiaircraft missile systems and G6 mobile artillery units from [[South Africa]].[^6] Ali brokered Chinese ballistic-missile sales to Pakistan, Iraq, and [[Saudi Arabia]], as well as Scud missiles from North Korea.[^7]
### Connections and Influence
Ali's connections were extensive, reaching high-level officials and intelligence agencies. He was a good friend of "Happy" [[Minwallah]], a close adviser to former Prime Minister [[Benazir Bhutto]], and was very close with the Pakistani air marshal.[^8] His ability to operate with apparent immunity was due to his deep ties within the Pakistani government and military.[^9]
He was also involved in meetings with [[William Casey]], the former [[CIA]] Director, and accompanied [[Zia ul-Haq|General Zia]] on a trip to Washington where they met with Casey.[^10]
## Footnotes
[^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 8.
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 309.
[^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 306.
[^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 308.
[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 296.
[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 296.
[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 296.
[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 296.
[^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 355.
[^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 347.