Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, No. 1 on India's most-wanted list, has found his way to Forbes magazine's list of the 'World's Most Powerful People' topped by President Barack Obama. Described by the US business magazine as the "boss of Mumbai-based organised crime syndicate D-Company", Dawood, a global terrorist according to the US and whom India blames for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, is ranked No. 50.

The mobster is just 14 notches behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is at No. 36. Top elusive Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden comes just one rank behind Manmohan Singh on the Forbes list of 67 politicians, businessmen, religious figures, media heads and one drug trafficker.

Dawood, the US business magazine says, runs an international drug trafficking, counterfeiting and weapons smuggling empire and is suspected to have links with the Al Qaeda. Reliance Industries Ltd chief Mukesh Ambani is ranked No. 44, Lakshmi Mittal No. 55, and Ratan Tata No. 59 on the list.

Forbes editors say they went by four broad parameters to make their list: Does the person have influence over lots of other people, financial resources controlled by these individuals, if they are powerful in multiple, and do they actively use their power.

"Power has been called many things. The ultimate aphrodisiac. An absolute corrupter. A mistress. A violin. But its true nature remains elusive. After all, a head of state wields a very different sort of power than a religious figure," the magazine said.

"Can one really compare the influence of a journalist to that of a terrorist? And is power unexercised, power at all?" Forbes asked.

"Do despicable criminals like billionaire Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzm?n (No. 41) belong on this list at all? Who did we overlook? What did we get wrong?" Forbes said, asking readers to join the conversation.