The Kulbhushan factor
There must be a reason for India shifting gears so frequently on the Kulbhushan issue. First, as is pretty much the norm, Delhi distanced itself from the spy. Yes, he did work with us. But this, really, must be a freelance effort, if even that, and so on. Then they cooked up a story about him having retired and turned businessman somewhere near Chabahar, Iran, where some Taliban types tipped off friends in the ISI, etc. Then, after the death sentence, they offered legal defence; and the press there turned him into something of a hero.
Yet Delhi must also know that there is no way Pakistan will budge on this one. His list of crimes extends from the usual espionage to, we have been told, terrorism and murder. Why, then, the desperation in Delhi? After Jadhav’s detailed confessions, parts of which were aired on TV, surely there’s no way India’s trying to get him out before he spills too much. And while spy-swap is as much a part of good neighbourly relations – especially in cases like India and Pakistan – as sending spies, regularly, over the border, there is clearly no barter in this story’s last chapter.
While the government kept focused throughout this episode, it could still have done a far better PR job. Islamabad was left with some egg on its face when the UN was not too impressed by its dossier – regarding Indian meddling inside Pakistan – last year. Why, then, was no effort made to highlight open-and-shut Indian involvement this time? Jadhav was, after all, financing and arming terrorist groups responsible for hundreds of deaths, was he not? Sure, we nailed the spy and busted his network; which is a clear victory. But could we have scored a bigger, deeper victory?
