Indian Defence Review

Famous German political scientist Hein Kiessling’s new book on Pakistani intelligence agency ISI is in the market by the name ‘Faith, Unity and Discipline’. In this book he says that ISI was one of the obscure intelligence agency till the invasion of Afghanistan by USSR. This invasion helped ISI to get all the training, equipment and expertise from American intelligence agency CIA. Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988 was its first big success. After 9/11, ISI was restructured by Pakistan. In 2004 ISI gave rebirth to Taliban.

According to Hein Kiessling today ISI is one of the best intelligence agency, at par with Israel’s Mossad. Needless to say our external intelligence agency RAW does not stand anywhere near the Pakistani ISI. The fault lies squarely on the shoulders of our netas and babus who does not allow RAW to be also in reckoning. Time we wake up and bring RAW at par with ISI, Mossad and others because with both China and Pakistan being nuclear powers we are left with no options.

According to Kkessling, ISI targeted Mumbai in 2008 because it wanted to bring some movement to Kashmir issue. He further asserts that then Pakistani Army Chief and president Musharraf had full knowledge of this activity of ISI. We have been sending evidence full of dossiers to Pakistan but we get a bland reply that the evidence is not sufficient. How can it be sufficient when ISI itself is responsible for the Mumbai carnage and all other terror acts that take place in India? The tools ISI has to carry out these jehadi attacks on India are the jehadi organisations LeT and JeM both Pakistan based terror organisations.

Somehow we in India always wake up to a situation created by Pakistan late. Even when we wake up their still remain Doubting Thomas’s who will always doubt even an open fact, mean while we continue to pay dearly for our slumber a high cost latest case in point are the four major rail accidents we have had in last 12 weeks all across India losing lot of lives and limb. It was purely by default that some local Pakistan sympathisers were caught by police who have clarified that all these train accidents have taken place not because of cracking of overworked rail tracks but these cracks have been purposely created by these sympathisers on pay of the Pakistani ISI. This is a very dangerous situation created by the ISI of Pakistan which is past master in such dirty games. In this act they have complete deniability because their dirty job is being done by local traitors who live and eat in India but take orders from Pakistan.

On 25 January an iron rod, seven meters long weighing 30 kg was found kept across a busy rail track near Mumbai. A major accident got averted due to alertness of the driver of the train. This is an open case of sabotage which was being attempted just a day before the Indian Republic day. The question is how is that our intelligence agencies did not get the wind of this new mischief of Pakistan? The truth is that our intelligence agencies both RAW meant for external intelligence and IB meant for internal intelligence concerning home are no patch on Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

ISI is an inter service group organised on the lines of famous American intelligence agency CIA and functions as such. ISI is totally India and Afghanistan centric with their soul goal to destabilise India. In case of India our intelligence agencies are full of police officials with IPS background In keeping with their police mind set all their acts tends to be defensive. In the current day cloak and dagger games of intelligence people there is no place for defensive mind set

It is time India reorganises its intelligence gathering capability, most important for India when two nuclear powers china and Pakistan have openly joined hands against India. India must have dedicated cadres for both IB and RAW who should be directly recruited and trained in intelligence specific ways.

It must be remembered that anybody and everybody cannot be an intelligence officer it requires special traits. To give it broader base police and army officers as also people from other disciplines should also be copped in on deputation on rotational basis Both IB and RAW should work under parliament under an all powerful parliamentary committee of all parties. They should be accountable to parliament and should have the right for offensive action (RAW) in other countries. RAW had this power till that short term Pakistan loving PM of India IK Gujral withdrew it. Accountability to parliament and not PMO will ensure that later on no political party will be able to blame a particular government in power for any act of omission or commission.

If Pakistan does not desist from these dirty acts of its of sabotaging Indian trains it should be told from back door diplomacy that it will face the same problem and more in its provinces of Sind, Baluchistan , khaiber pakhtoonwah and even Punjab. We in India have to remember that this proxy war Pakistan has foisted on us since 1988 under nuclear shield Fighting for Pakistan is being done by their slum dwellers the jehadis who are just cannon fodder to Pakistani army.

In last 28 years 5000 Indian soldiers and about 40000 civilians have been killed in J&K alone with hardly any casualties to Pakistani Army. They are beating it up and enjoying their pay and perks They have shield of their nuclear weapons. If we want to win this war we will have to bring Pakistani army out from their comfort zones and face casualties. That is only possible if discontent within Pakistan is brought to boiling point and their jehadis are turned against them.

A bit of greasing by money and moral and political support to Baluchistan cause with Sind also thrown in will do the trick. Only India will have to climb down from moral high morale horse. ‘Do Unto Enemy What He Does To You’ should be our motto Proxy war to be met with proxy war.