A RAW or ripe attempt?

Kulbhushun Yadav

The infamous Indian intelligence agency RAW may brag about its so-called accomplishments and make phony elevated claims but the fact remains that Operation Chanakya, Operation Kahuta’s blueprint and creation of Bangladesh had brought bad name to this blown-larger-than-the-size intelligence agency. Most notably, meddling in East Pakistan and disrupting the smooth life of neighbouring peaceful Sri Lanka will remain as stigmas on its face. About Bangladesh, Bengalis themselves, ex-RAW operators, the Indian politicians and recently Mr Modi himself proudly admitted the contribution while involvement in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs, where RAW started training the LTTE to keep a so-called check on Sri Lanka is an open secret now.

This check in fact was a sort of punishment to the Lankans for helping Pakistan in the Indo-Pak war of December 1971 by allowing Pakistani ships to refuel at Sri Lankan ports. Unfortunately, the LTTE created a lot of problems and complications and this “check” by the “monitor” eventually backfired and the then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi was left with no choice other than to send the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in 1987 to eliminate their own sprouts “Tamil Tigers”. As it was expected, the genie was out of the bottle, hence the disastrous mission of the IPKF, especially the bloody heli-borne assault on LTTE HQ in the Jaffna University campus in the opening stages of Operation Pawan met a disastrous fate (thanks to RAW). The wrong dropping zone made the paratroops sitting ducks for the LTTE; hence a number of soldiers were killed. The Tamils didn’t forgive their mentor India and finally it ended with the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi (once again thanks to RAW).

The clandestine and espionage operations’ world is not some street game. It’s far tougher and challenging than any Android crime solving app, available at Play Store on one’s phone. Cold blood, emotionless hearts, unreadable faces and a strong will are the basic requirements here. Doing an odd personal meeting, picking the dead-drops and carrying out short surveillances are not the name of spy games. Incidentally, the Chanakya’s followers still blindly tag along the Arthashastra, amidst this era of modern concepts and doctrines, so sadly they have to bag embarrassments off and on. As it’s talk of the town that few days back an Indian Navy officer, who was involved in “subversive” activities and was in contact with ethnic and sectarian groups for fuelling violence and terrorism in Balochistan, was arrested by the Pakistani intelligence agencies. Although, India quickly distanced itself from him by stating that he had no link with the government since his “premature retirement” from the Navy, nevertheless, what they forgot is that it’s a rule of the game the world over that whenever a serving person has to be launched as an agent then he has to sign or he is made to sign a premature retirement and that’s exactly what Commander Kulbhushun was made to do.

It would have been better for the Indians to play cool and hang around for some time before making a logical and plausible cover story about him, because their hasty statement has humiliated them more. I strongly anticipate an earlier than sooner press conference by the authorities where the details about Kulbhushun will be shared with the nation through media and those media gurus who are displaying their expertise in the talk-shows today may find that press conference as jaw dropping. After all, if Russia and the US can play with each other’s repute by televising such conferences then what stops Pakistan from doing so. Certainly, it is no insignificant nabbing.

The Indians, before disowning Commander Kulbhushun Yadav, forgot that there are few bitter and undeniable facts for which they will have no answers, like Kulbhushun while serving in the Indian Navy served in the Naval Intelligence setup from 2003 through 2013 and after those ten year he was found extremely useful for RAW hence his services were deputed to the Research & Analysis Wing in 2013. He remained on active service until he was picked for launching in Pakistan. So the Indian claim about disowning him is neither here nor there since every cover agent signs a premature retirement before he is launched, as mentioned earlier.

Another interesting fact is that the Indians will have to decide that whom they disown: Commander Kulbhushun Yadav or Mubarak Hussein Patel. Yes, the cover agent apprehended after entering Pakistan via Iran (thank you Iran also for the hospitality) without any valid visa was carrying the passport of one Mubarak Hussein Patel but with the picture of Kulbhushun Yadav. So they still have time before any probable press conference by the Pakistani authorities to make up their mind. However, one thing is for sure that Mr Kulbhushun [sic] Mubarak has no valid justification for entering Pakistan without a visa and that too through Pak-Iran border instead of legally walking-in through the front door i.e., JCP Wagah.

Let me share interesting information with you (pray that I am not wrong). I am sure we all know about Mr Ajit Doval, an IPS officer, who is the fifth and current National Security Adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 30 May, 2014. The gentleman is promoted through media as ‘James Bond of India’ because while violating the clandestine game principles, he publically boasted about remaining as an undercover agent in Pakistan for seven years posing as a Pakistani Muslim in Lahore. Seven years is hell of a time and the sharp agent forgot the name of Data Sahib’s shrine. A friend of mine passed a very acerbic but interesting remark when he found me awed with Ajit’s story. He said, “Watch that clip carefully and you will find more holes in his story than in his undergarments.” Anyway, the information I would like to share with you is that according to reliable sources Commander Kulbhushun ‘Mubarak’ is a close relative of the NSA, like nephew to latter. You don’t believe that? Well, I wish that someone confirms it soon. Yadav entered Pakistan a couple of times earlier also. First time he entered in May 2014 and that was the time when his uncle Ajit Doval took over as the NSA to PM Modi.

Hope that soon Yadav will make startling confessions about his mission, nevertheless what little has been gathered so far is sufficient to prove that he came with a specific aim to sabotage the CPEC project in Balochistan under the cover of Balochistan Freedom Movement. If we remember correctly, the previous Pakistan governments have been handing over the irrefutable proofs to their Indian counterparts about RAW’s hand in Balochistan’s restlessness and sectarian violence, quite off and on.

There are a couple of past incidents also where the Indian government and especially RAW disowned their cover agents like Kashmir Singh and Ravinder Kaushik aka Nabi Ahmed Shakir, who died in Multan jail. This time it’s no trivial agent rather a high ranking naval officer who happens to be the nephew of the current NSA aka James Bond of India, so let’s see what the uncle does for his nephew. However, he must keep in mind that Yadav is a soldier who was caught while not wearing uniform, and if combatants violate the rules of war or not wearing proper uniforms while operating behind enemy lines, they don’t come under the Geneva Conventions, so no counselor access or diplomatic immunity for the James Bond, Jr.

Another important thing is a slapdash statement made by MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar, the patron in Chief of Hindu Council of Pakistan. He should not forget that it is a sensitive issue where intelligence agencies, after day and nights of hectic efforts, collected solid proofs for apprehending this cover agent. Dr Ramesh is a Pakistani first and his jumping into the issue without knowing the background can cause lots of trouble and hurt the feelings of millions of Pakistanis irrespective of class, caste and religion. In any case, it’s time to keep the fingers crossed till more pours in.