Zaheerul Hassan
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It 
was like scene from a slap stick comedy or a Disney cartoon short and the more I read about it, the more I rolled with unmitigated mirth. The Indian police had captured a Pakistani super spy, who was a master of disguises and on this occasion was masquerading as, amongst all things, a pigeon. He, or was it a she, must have contemplated that being a pigeon and therefore a cousin of the dove might have its advantages, as it could always tell its captors that it was on alternate track peace mission. Anyway we have been told that the unfortunate captive was being held under armed guard and had divulged a Pakistani phone number under intense interrogation.
This brings me to the more serious topic of the Indian spy agency known as the Research and Analysis Wing or RAW. It appears that all is not well within the tightly guarded perimeter in the Indian Capital. Riddled with corruption, prejudices and resultant frustration, a new specter threatens RAW from within. This is the deep rooted animosity that has developed between the civilian cadre and officers, who are posted to the agency to serve tenure from the military. There have been cases where the civilian employees have been abused and maltreated professionally by their colleagues in uniform. There is also a turf war going on between the Intelligence Bureau and RAW over jurisdiction and postings.
The situation is pulling long forgotten skeletons out of closets. One such case is that of Vipin Handa. This individual was outwardly a diplomat looking after the visa section of the Indian High Commission, but everyone in the Mission knew that he was heading RAW operations in Pakistan. Handa was posted back from Islamabad and then one day news trickled down that there had been a tragic accident involving an elevator resulting in the gory demise of an official – this official was Mr. Vipin Handa. It is widely believed that the unfortunate man was a victim of diabolic intrigue and that the tragic accident was staged because the unfortunate man was perceived to be heading a secret movement to offset the supremacy of the military complement inside RAW. It was imperative therefore that he be permanently removed from the scene.
Another story doing the rounds is that many RAW officials are currently linked to politicians and are on their hefty payroll. This is one reason perhaps, why the military within the Agency is being given preference over their civilian counterparts in matters that are of sensitive nature.
There is also the turf war between the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and RAW. As per their respective mandates the IB is supposed to handle intelligence and security on the internal front, this also includes counter intelligence operations which brings it into conflict with RAW, which handles all intelligence and subversion operations externally. The inter department conflict is also evident in foreign postings and there have been many instances of insubordination and recourse to legal proceedings.
Whatever be the truth, one thing is evident that matters within the Indian spy agency are worrying its masters in the Government. What implications any upheaval or revolt within RAW will have for the region is a moot point. For the present we can only wait and watch events as they unfold.
was like scene from a slap stick comedy or a Disney cartoon short and the more I read about it, the more I rolled with unmitigated mirth. The Indian police had captured a Pakistani super spy, who was a master of disguises and on this occasion was masquerading as, amongst all things, a pigeon. He, or was it a she, must have contemplated that being a pigeon and therefore a cousin of the dove might have its advantages, as it could always tell its captors that it was on alternate track peace mission. Anyway we have been told that the unfortunate captive was being held under armed guard and had divulged a Pakistani phone number under intense interrogation.This brings me to the more serious topic of the Indian spy agency known as the Research and Analysis Wing or RAW. It appears that all is not well within the tightly guarded perimeter in the Indian Capital. Riddled with corruption, prejudices and resultant frustration, a new specter threatens RAW from within. This is the deep rooted animosity that has developed between the civilian cadre and officers, who are posted to the agency to serve tenure from the military. There have been cases where the civilian employees have been abused and maltreated professionally by their colleagues in uniform. There is also a turf war going on between the Intelligence Bureau and RAW over jurisdiction and postings.
The situation is pulling long forgotten skeletons out of closets. One such case is that of Vipin Handa. This individual was outwardly a diplomat looking after the visa section of the Indian High Commission, but everyone in the Mission knew that he was heading RAW operations in Pakistan. Handa was posted back from Islamabad and then one day news trickled down that there had been a tragic accident involving an elevator resulting in the gory demise of an official – this official was Mr. Vipin Handa. It is widely believed that the unfortunate man was a victim of diabolic intrigue and that the tragic accident was staged because the unfortunate man was perceived to be heading a secret movement to offset the supremacy of the military complement inside RAW. It was imperative therefore that he be permanently removed from the scene.
Another story doing the rounds is that many RAW officials are currently linked to politicians and are on their hefty payroll. This is one reason perhaps, why the military within the Agency is being given preference over their civilian counterparts in matters that are of sensitive nature.
There is also the turf war between the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and RAW. As per their respective mandates the IB is supposed to handle intelligence and security on the internal front, this also includes counter intelligence operations which brings it into conflict with RAW, which handles all intelligence and subversion operations externally. The inter department conflict is also evident in foreign postings and there have been many instances of insubordination and recourse to legal proceedings.
Whatever be the truth, one thing is evident that matters within the Indian spy agency are worrying its masters in the Government. What implications any upheaval or revolt within RAW will have for the region is a moot point. For the present we can only wait and watch events as they unfold.
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