Point of View
RAW: An Instrument of Indian Power and how Dixit accused RAW
By Isha Khan
The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), created in 1968, has assumed a
significant status in the formulation of India's domestic and foreign
policies, particularly the later. Working directly under the Prime
Minister, it has over the years become and effective instrument of
India's national power. In consonance with Kautilya's precepts, RAW's
espionage doctrine is based on the principle of waging a continuous
series of battles of intrigues and secret wars.
RAW, ever since its creation, has always been a vital, though
unobtrusive, actor in Indian policy-making apparatus. But it is the
massive international dimensions of RAW operations that merit a closer
examination.
To the credit of this organization, it has in very short span of time
mastered the art of spy warfare. Credit must go to Indira Gandhi who in
the late 1970s gave it a changed and much more dynamic role. To suit her
much publicized Indira Doctrine, (actually India Doctrine) Mrs. Gandhi
specifically asked RAW to create a powerful organ within the
organization which could undertake covert operations in neighboring
countries. It is this capability that makes RAW a more fearsome agency
than its superior KGB, CIA, MI-6, BND and the Mossad. Its internal role
is confined only in monitoring events having bearing on the external
threat.
RAW's boss works directly under the Prime Minister. An Additional
Secretary to the Government of India, under the Director RAW, is
responsible for the Office of Special Operations (OSO), intelligence
collected from different countries, internal security (under the
Director General of Security), the electronic/technical section and
general administration. The Additional Secretary as well as the Director
General of Security is also under the Director of RAW. DG Security has
two important sections: the Aviation Research Center (ARC) and the
Special Services Bureau (SSB). The joint Director has specified desks
with different regional divisions/areas (countries): Area one. Pakistan:
Area two, China and South East Asia: Area three, the Middle East and
Africa: and Area four, other countries.
Aviation Research Center (ARC) is responsible for interception,
monitoring and jamming of target country's communication systems. It has
the most sophisticated electronic equipment and also a substantial
number of aircraft equipped with state-of- the art eavesdropping
devices. ARC was strengthened in mid-1987 by the addition of three new
aircraft, the Gulf Stream-3. These aircraft can reportedly fly at an
altitude of 52,000 ft and has an operating range of 5000 kms. ARC also
controls a number of radar stations located close to India's borders.
Its aircraft also carry out oblique reconnaissance, along the border
with Bangladesh, China, Nepal and Pakistan.
RAW having been given a virtual carte blanche to conduct
destabilization operations in neighboring countries inimical to India to
seriously undertook restructuring of its organization accordingly. RAW
was given a list of seven countries (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal,
Sikkim, Bhutan, Pakistan and Maldives) whom India considered its
principal regional protagonists.
It very soon systematically and brilliantly crafted covert operations
in all these countries to coerce, destabilize and subvert them in
consonance with the foreign policy objectives of the Indian Government.
RAW's operations against the regional countries were conducted with
great professional skill and expertise. Central to the operations was
the establishment of a huge network inside the target countries. It used
and targeted political dissent, ethnic divisions, economic backwardness
and criminal elements within these states to foment subversion,
terrorism and sabotage. A brief expose of RAW's operations in some
neighboring countries would reveal the full expanse of its regional
ambitions to suit India Doctrine (Open Secrets. India's Intelligence
Unveiled by M K Dhar. Manas Publications, New Delhi, 2005).
Bangladesh
Indian intelligence agencies were involved in erstwhile East
Pakistan, now Bangladesh since early 1960s. Its operatives were in touch
with Sheikh Mujib for quite some time. Sheikh Mujib went to Agartala in
1965. The famous Agartala case was unearthed in 1967. In fact, the main
purpose of raising RAW in 1968 was to organise covert operations in
Bangladesh. As early as in 1968, RAW was given a green signal to begin
mobilising all its resources for the impending surgical intervention in
erstwhile East Pakistan.
When in July 1971 General Manekshaw told Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
that the army would not be ready till December to intervene in
Bangladesh, she quickly turned to RAW for help. RAW was ready. Its
officers used Bengali refugees to set up Mukti Bahini. Using this outfit
as a cover, Indian military sneaked deep into Bangladesh. The story of
Mukti Bahini and RAW's role in its creation and training is now
well-known. RAW never concealed its Bangladesh operations. Interested
readers may have details in Asoka Raina's Inside RAW: the story of
India's secret service published by Vikas Publishing House of New Delhi.
The creation of Bangladesh was masterminded by RAW in complicity with
KGB under the covert clauses of Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and
Co-operation (adopted as 25-year Indo-Bangladesh Treaty of Friendship
and Co-operation in 1972).
RAW retained a keen interest in Bangladesh even after its
independence. Mr. Subramaniam Swamy, Janata Dal MP, a close associate of
Morarji Desai said that Rameswar Nath Kao, former Chief of RAW, and
Shankaran Nair upset about Sheikh Mujib's assassination chalked a plot
to kill General Ziaur Rahman. However, when Morarji Desai came into
power in 1977 he was indignant at RAW's role in Bangladesh and ordered
operations in Bangladesh to be called off; but by then RAW had already
gone too far. General Zia continued to be in power for quite some time
but he was assassinated after Indira Gandhi returned to power, though
she denied her involvement in his assassination(Weekly
Sunday,Calcutta,18 September, 1988).
RAW was involved in training of Chakma tribals and Shanti Bahini who
carry out subversive activities in Bangladesh. It has also unleashed a
well-organized plan of psychological warfare, creation of polarisation
among the armed forces, propaganda by false allegations of use of
Bangladesh territory by ISI, creation of dissension's among the
political parties and religious sects, control of media, denial of river
waters, and propping up a host of disputes in order to keep Bangladesh
under a constant political and socio-economic pressure ("RAW and
Bangladesh" by Mohammad Zainal Abedin, November 1995, RAW In Bangladesh:
Portrait of an Aggressive Intelligence, written and published by Abu
Rushd, Dhaka).
Sri Lanka
Post- independence Sri Lanka, inspire of having a multi-sectoral
population was a peaceful country till 1971 and was following
independent foreign policy. During 1971 Indo-Pakistan war despite of
heavy pressure from India, Sri Lanka allowed Pakistan's civil and
military aircraft and ships to stage through its air and sea ports with
unhindered re-fueling facilities. It also had permitted Israel to
establish a nominal presence of its intelligence training set up. It
permitted the installation of high powered transmitter by Voice of
America (VOA) on its territory, which was resented by India.
It was because of these 'irritants' in the Indo-Sri Lanka relations
that Mrs Indira Gandhi planned to bring Sri Lanka into the fold of the
so-called Indira Doctrine (India Doctrine) Kao was told by Gandhi to
repeat their Bangladesh success. RAW went looking for militants it could
train to destabilize the regime. Camps were set up in Tamil Nadu and old
RAW guerrillas trainers were dug out of retirement. RAW began arming the
Tamil Tigers and training them at centers such as Gunda and Gorakhpur.
As a sequel to this ploy, Sri Lanka was forced into Indian power-web
when Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987 was singed and Indian
Peace-Keeping-Force (IPKF) landed in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of External
Affairs was also upset at RAW's role in Sri Lanka as they felt that RAW
was still continuing negotiations with the Tamil Tiger leader
Parabhakran in contravention to the Indian government's foreign policy.
According to R Swaminathan, (former Special Secretary of RAW) it was
this outfit which was used as the intermediary between Rajib Gandhi and
Tamil leader Parabhakaran. The former Indian High Commissioner in Sri
Lanka, J.N. Dixit even accused RAW of having given Rs. five corore to
the LTTE. At a later stage, RAW built up the EPRLF and ENDLF to fight
against the LTTE which turned the situation in Sri Lanka highly volatile
and uncertain later on.
The Indian Defense Minister while addressing IAF personnel at
Bangalore claimed that the country's prestige has gone high because of
the peace-keeping role played by the Indian forces in Maldives. The
International Community in general and the South Asian states in
particular, however, viewed with suspicious the over-all concept and
motives of the operation. The western media described it as a display of
newly-acquired military muscle by India and its growing role as a
regional police. Although the apparent identification of the two
Maldivian nationals could be a sufficient reason, at its face value, to
link it with the previous such attempts by the mercenaries, yet other
converging factors, indicative of involvement of external hand, could
hardly be ignored.
Sailing of the mercenaries from Manar and Kankasanturai in Sri Lanka,
which were in complete control of IPKF, and the timing and speed of the
Indian intervention proved their involvement beyond any doubt.
Pakistan Pakistan's size, strength and potential have always overawed
the Indians. It, therefore, always considers her main opponent in her
expansionist doctrine. India's animosity towards Pakistan is
psychologically and ideologically deep-rooted and unassailable. India's
war with Pakistan in 1965 over Kashmir and in 1971 which resulted in the
dismemberment of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh are just two
examples.
Raw considers Sindh as Pakistan's soft under-belly. It has,
therefore, made it the prime target for sabotage and subversion. RAW has
enrolled and extensive network of agents and anti-government elements,
and is convinced that with a little push restless Sindh will revolt.
RAW is also being blamed for confusing the ground situation is
Kashmir so as to keep the world attention away from the gross human
rights violations by India in India occupied Kashmir. ISI being almost
20 years older than RAW and having acquired much higher standard of
efficiency in its functioning , has become the prime target of RAW's
designs, ISI is considered to be a stumbling block in RAW's operations,
and has, therefore, been made a target of all kinds of massive
misinformation and propaganda campaign.
The tirade against ISI continues unabated. The idea is to keep ISI on
the defensive by fictionalising and alleging its hand is supporting
Kashmiri Mujahideen and Sikhs in Punjab. RAW'S fixation against ISI has
taken the shape of ISI-phobia, as in India everyone traces down the
origin of all happenings and shortcomings to the ISI.
Be it an abduction at Banglaore or a student's kidnapping at Cochin,
be it a bank robbery at Calcutta or a financial scandal in Bombay, be it
a bomb blast at Bombay or Bangladesh, they find an ISI hand in it (RAW
:GLOBAL AND REGIONAL AMBITIONS" Edited by Rashid Ahmad Khan and Muhammad
Saleem, Published by Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Asia Printers,
slamabad, 2005). RAW over the years has admirably fulfilled its tasks of
destabilising target states through unbridled export of terrorism. The
India Doctrine spelt out a difficult and onerous role for RAW. It goes
to its credit that it has accomplished its assigned objectives due to
the endemic weakness in the state apparatus of those nations and failure
of their leaders.
(Courtesy Global Politician.)
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