The book “Spy Story: Inside the Secret World of the R.A.W. and the I.S.I.,” authored by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark gives a detailed comparison between the potential and working of both rival agencies. Being arch-rivals, both India and Pakistan had invested large sums in their defence and tried every tactic to malign and reduce the power of the other country. Intelligence agencies are the front foot player in this regard because they can topple the other player’s game covertly without even getting the blame. These spy stories unravel such a game played by both agencies, covertly and overtly to influence each other either through external means and or internal means. The book was published in 2021, comprised of 340 pages, and consisted of three parts, in which the first part skins over the back story from 1968 to 2000.
The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was established in 1948, while on 21 September 1968, the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was founded by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Due to its relatively long existence, the ISI was more experienced and had already played its role in the 1965 War and others. So, in India, there was a need to establish an organisation that would at least provide an opportunity to the analysts to help the government in exercising its foreign policy effectively. Hence, an agency named ‘Research and Analysis Wing’ was founded in 1968.
The first part started with the introduction of our two protagonists of the story Maj. Iftikhar and Mouisha. Both of them are now living outside the country, rogue from their respective agencies ISI and RAW. These two helped writers give an account of different incidents in which they also took part.
The first part of the book also explains the difficulties RAW faced after it was founded, which included economic, social, and organisational. The tussle of RAW with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other agencies reduced its economic budget at times, which eventually reduced its power and affected its working in the field. The ISI helped the Taliban against Soviet Russia and money was given to Pakistan by the USA to help the Taliban against the Soviets. This money was often used by Pakistan to strengthen its defence against India. India blamed Pakistan for using this money to increase insurgencies in India and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), often supporting in surprising different parts of India out of which the most common is the Khalistan movement.
Khalistan movement was a Sikh movement that demanded a separate state only for Sikhs. The first part ends with the Kandahar hijacking in which a Delhi-Khatmandu Indian plane was hijacked and landed at Kandahar. RAW blamed ISI for this hijacking and considered it as RAW’s intelligence failure. At the end of this part, about this hijacking, when Additional Director of IB, Ajit Doval, the author said, would never forget being outplayed and losing traction with a government in Delhi that chose flight rather than fight. The book claimed that RAW’s actions in Pakistan were unveiled as India successfully launched an information war to build a narrative of Rawalpindi being the prime manipulator of regional terror.
The second part of the book focuses on the time period after the 9/11 bombings. It starts with the conspiracy of then ISI chief and the appointment of a new one by Musharraf. India claimed that the chief was removed on the suspicion of his involvement in the 9/11 attacks, and RAW helped the USA in lifting the curtain over this. USA forced Musharraf to remove him because he needed someone who can reform ISI’s direction, internally and externally. The USA asked Pakistan either they are with them or against them. Pakistan opted to be with the US, but Musharraf wanted to do so by keeping Pakistan’s sovereignty intact and carry out a plan to secure its national interest while doing so. Pakistan now wanted to make its peace with India and established good relations with them because war at multiple fronts was not in Pakistan’s favour. Major Iftikhar was also sent to IIOJK via Bangladesh to support insurgencies and make assets for Pakistan that could be utilized in the freedom movement against India. Manisha also talked about the internal structure of the RAW, where women and Muslims had a hard time getting settled and they both also felt the bigotry of Indian extremist Hindus.
The second part also dealt with Pakistan’s decision making after the 9/11 bombings and its effects on Pakistan’s politics. It also talked about how Pakistan dealt with this scenario while keeping its national interest and sovereignty intact. Pakistan’s role in Kashmir and the 2001 Indian Parliament attack was also discussed in this part. A very few people knew about the Davinder Singh, the Jammu and Kashmir police officer, who was dismissed in May without an enquiry in the interest of the security of the state, after he was caught with an armed militant in his car, was deeply involved in the Indian parliament attack. India blamed Pakistan for terror and instability but, could not clarify its claim when its people were involved in terror activities.
Overall, the second part mostly dealt with Kashmir and Pakistan during the Musharraf era. The role of Major Iftikhar is also an important part of the literature. The 26/11 Mumbai attacks was another issue touched by authors to explain the role of both agencies. Authors have also mentioned instances where these agencies were working in other countries to establish superiority over each other. The tussle between both agencies to get the attention of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the USA particularly was also explained.
All these sections explained one thing that to protect their national interest and malign other countries, agencies often bluff and lie. Especially, RAW used this as a weapon against Pakistan, waging an information war against Pakistan to build a narrative of a pro-terror country in the world, and to some extent, RAW has been successful. But with such professionalism, ISI managed to thwart the threats. Throwing some light on Indian state attitude, the authors argued that an unknown number of police officers, spies, and soldiers are relentlessly promoting a Hindu land. The effects of which can be seen in India’s ideology of Hindutva, propagated by the Modi government, and the reaction of which resulted in a revocation of the special status of IIOJK and also the foundation of Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA) bill for the Indian Muslims.
The book also informs its readers about the prevailing Hinduism in India and the role of RAW in it. It was narrated that a few regional police chiefs were informed by the IB in 2011 in a private meeting that at least 16 bombing conspiracies had been linked to suspected Hindu militants and that new intelligence detachments would have to be created to probe for right-wing threats in India just as Israel was doing with its homegrown Jewish right-wing terrorists.
The final part deals with the events during the Narendra Modi regime, where the officials quoted on record included Doval and senior officials in his team. Pakistani officials are either those who have retired, which is certain to raise eyebrows for any reader. This part also covered the episode of Burhan Wani in which authors claimed that Ajit Doval allowed Burhan Wani to be made a hero and extended his lifespan by not acting against him until he died in 2016, which broke the morale of the Kashmiri people. Hence, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government violated the special status of IIOJK.
The authors claimed support for Pakistan’s narrative of considering BJP as an extremist party with Hindutva ideology. Moreover, by justifying Pakistan’s stance over IIOJK. The book also included some flaws but, overall, very well researched and comprehensively written. It also covered air skirmish over Balakot and how it shaped the respective narratives of both ISI and RAW. Similarly, it argued that the Kulbushan Jadhav case, as well as the Pulwama attack, took place for the personal gains of the Indian government. The authors also elaborated the tilt of the USA towards India in the Donald Trump era by signing 142 billion dollars trade agreements between both states.
The book is devoid of a plot and grappling, which can make it a tough read for those who are not domain specialists. Sometimes the jargons make it difficult for its readers to understand the book. The structure of the book is also fragmented and not more than a few random spy stories. In the end, it was noted that both agencies ISI and RAW were working to ensure and safeguard the national interest of two arch-rivals, the cost of which is often paid by the blood of innocents. Overall, the book is very well written and very well informed. Readers should read this book carefully with a critical eye of understanding the working of such agencies and to think for a better future.
