1971 war a RAW success?

[MBI Munshi]

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SPY VS SPY: The Anti-Climax

By B. Raman

“oh they all openly say they went as spies.. that’s the first thing that takes the imagined glamour away na .”

“what I mean is I'm sure its a commonplace phenomenon across either side.”

“and roop lal before that. Not sure it should come as a shocker though!”

“and so many others like him on both sides. Hardly glamorous intrigue. More like tragedy.”

These are some of the Tweets sent out on June 28, 2012, by Barkha Dutt of NDTV, who has emerged as a widely-followed Tweetizen of the world.

Her Tweets were her disappointing reactions to the statement made by Surjeet Singh, the alleged R&AW spy, who crossed over into India that day after having spent years in a Pakistani prison on a charge of being a spy of the R&AW allegedly sent across the Indo-Pakistan border by the R&AW to collect intelligence.

When Pakistan announced that it was releasing Surjeet, there was considerable excitement around in the journalists’ community. Also in the general public.

They all expected Surjeet to be one like Smiley’s people crossing the border inconspicuously in the dead of the night as it was raining cats and dogs and disappearing nowhere----never again to be seen and heard.

To die a quiet death away from the glare of publicity.

A typical return of an R&AW man from the cold, which would make all of us proud of the R&AW and give a theme for our movie-makers, who are frantically hunting for heroic R&AW stories.

A question I am often asked is: Why there are no heroic espionage stories and movies in India?

Surjeet was hardly the man from the cold. He walked across the border in bright sunlight relishing all the attention on him from his relatives, young innocents-abroad journos and officials.

“Jasoosi ki thi?”, the excited journos asked him expecting him to deny vehemently.

To their surprise and disappointment, he replied: “bilkul. Jasoosi ki thi.”

All the exciting expectations were gone in a trice.

What? This is not the way Smiley’s people behave. This is not what we had seen in Western movies.

What kind of an intelligence agency we have? Do the R&AW officers read John Le Carre and watch Western movies to learn how they are supposed to behave as spies?

Where is the glamour in the R&AW and its spies? Where is the glamour in the intelligence profession as practised in India?

No glamour in the Indian world of intelligence. Openly admitting before TV cameras that they indulged in espionage in Pakistan.

As we all retired spooks know to our discomfiture, the R&AW’s reputation----particularly in the world of Barkha’s people----had never been high. It reached its nadir on June 28, thanks to Surjeet and his supposed confession before the TV cameras.

At least one thing I can tell you about the R&AW people after having spent nearly three decades in that organisation having been a spy myself and controlled dozens of other spies.

We may not be as glamorous as Smiley’s people, but we are not stupid.

You will see our finger-prints in every success the nation has achieved since 1947--- whether during the Indo-Pakistan wars of 1965 or 1971 or 1999, whether in our counter-insurgency operations in J&K and the North-East, whether in East Pakistan before 1971.

Just as you will see them in every national security disaster the nation has gone through---whether during the Sino-Indian war of 1962, whether during the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, whether in Sri Lanka against the LTTE or whether against the LET on 26/11 in Mumbai.

Every intelligence organisation has its ups and downs just as every spook has.

In one way we are proud to have been different from Smiley’s people---whether of the British or American or Soviet variety.

We have never led our country into a wrongful adventure---just as the CIA did in Vietnam, the KGB did in Afghanistan and the CIA and the MI 6 did in Iraq.

There are spies and spies and spies living and operating in Pakistan. Some collecting intelligence about Pakistan. Some about the Khalistani terrorists living in Lahore. Some about the ****** terrorists. Some about the Narco smugglers. And so on.

How many so-called flop spies Barkha has been able to name? Three---Roop Lal, Sarabjit Singh, Surjeet Singh. Possibly one or two more.

The glamour is not in a handful of guys who didn’t come up to our exotic expectation as they returned from the cold.

The glamour is in countless others who are heroically living in the cold, evading detection, and protecting Indian nationals and interests to the best of their ability.

The nation will never know of them.

But they are the unsung heroes of the R&AW.

SPY VS SPY: The Anti-Climax

[sarthak]

Nice article

[MBI Munshi]

At least RAW now admits it was involved in East Pakistan before 1971 ....... but what is the implications of this for Bangladeshis?

[zip]

Before 1971 bangladesh was a pakistani territory .whats so surprising in it ? do you think intelligence agencies gather information sitting in a airconditioned office ?

[aazidane]

Author of this article = Captain obvious

[MBI Munshi]

Before 1971 bangladesh was a pakistani territory .whats so surprising in it ? do you think intelligence agencies gather information sitting in a airconditioned office ?

The admission changes the nature and significance of the war ......

[Drone(PREDATOR)]

No. 1971 war was a great success for CIA, ISI and Chinese secret agency.

[MBI Munshi]

No. 1971 war was a joint success of CIA, ISI and Chinese secret agency.

Yes when Indians have something to hide or nothing useful to say they troll .....

[zip]

Who said 1971 is a success ..if it was 1971_81 then it would have been a success ..independence is not something which one can gift ..it has to be earned to keep it safe

[MBI Munshi]

Who said 1971 is a success ..if it was 1971_81 then it would have been a success ..independence is not something which one can gift ..it has to be earned to keep it safe

That the Indian gains in 1971 were quickly overturned by 1975 shows that the war may actually mean something else to Bangladeshis .........

[Avisheik]

What does he mean by RAW success?? There was RAW involvemewnt but the most they could have done is provide enemy information and weapons. The rest of the war was fought by muki bahini and gono bahini and the indian military. Seriously, too much credit is given to RAW in bangladesh

[sarthak]

Yes when Indians have something to hide or nothing useful to say they troll .....

What exactly are we hiding? You have posted what everyone already knows. RAW was obviously involved and all Indians think that RAW did an excellent job. Only a few hundred border guards are now required to guard the eastern border as opposed to multiple battalions.

[monitor]

We fought sacrifice our life in 1971 because we were made to think Pakistan is the mother of all problem for Bangalees in Pakistan . it was probably made by the RAW agent in east Pakistan (Bangladesh ). so ultimately it was the success of RAW .they made us believe all their propaganda/allegation on West Pakistan . the end result we fought a decisive battle against the Pakistan army and achieved our independence as we were made thought this is the sole path of getting rid of any oppression .

[SamranAli]

We fought sacrifice our life in 1971 because we were made to think Pakistan is the mother of all problem for Bangalees in Pakistan . it was probably made by the RAW agent in east Pakistan (Bangladesh ). so ultimately it was the success of RAW .they made us believe all their propaganda/allegation on West Pakistan . the end result we fought a decisive battle against the Pakistan army and achieved our independence as we were made thought this is the sole path of getting rid of any oppression .

Very nice post.

[jagjitnatt]

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RAW involvement doesn't mean they single handedly brainwashed every Bangladeshi, killed millions and put the blame on Pak Army, and created Mukti Bahini and finalyl defeated Pak Army to build Bangladesh.

RAW involvement means that there were spies in East Pakistan, and that their inputs were essential part of our planning of when to strike, what is actually going on in East Pakistan. RAW doesn't just create something, they provide the essential inside info on what Pak Army was planning, what is the political scenario, what is going to happen now. This info is sent back to India, and then the top brass decides how to handle it.

There already was a massacre going on, RAW took advantage of it, got the real story out to the world, helped make it an international problem, got info on no. of soldiers in East Pakistan, their movement, their presence, their plans, and amount of ammo, and location of posts.

This is what RAW does. Some monkeys here don't know anything and would blame the intelligence agencies for wars, disasters, and what not. That's just TOO much glorification. If intelligence agencies were like these, half the world would have been conquered by Americans and Europeans due to powerful intelligence systems. Stop watching James Bond guys.