Behind enemy lines

[Abingdonboy]

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It was the height of the Indian armed forces' mobilisation against Pakistan during Operation Parakram after the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on the Parliament. With military on both sides in confrontation mode, Indian satellites picked up a concentration of Pakistani armour across the


Barmer border in Rajasthan.

Since the land across Barmer is marshy and not ideal for tanks, New Delhi was perturbed - Pakistan's armour thrust was expected across the Jaisalmer sector, not Barmer. Rather than take chances, the Indian intelligence agencies were asked to confirm whether there was a tank formation across the Barmer sector.

Nawab, an opium smuggler, was sent by the intelligence services across the border from Chotan near Barmer to confirm the satellite report. While New Delhi desperately needed information, Nawab was eyeing a shipment of opium from nearby Umerkot - a town in Sindh - as a reward for confirming the satellite imagery.

Within a day, Nawab came back to Barmer and proudly told his handler that he had touched the tank formation with his own hands and found them to be fakes made out of cardboard. The message was relayed back to Raisina Hill that 'all was quiet on the western front'.

Call them Nawab, Ramzana, Kirpal or Surjeet Singh - the man who crossed Wagah on June 29 after spending 30 years and six months in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail on charges of spying for India - the world of trans-border couriers is integral to espionage in the subcontinent.

After coming back, Surjeet Singh claimed that he was indeed spying for India's premier intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). He now intends to move the courts in India to be compensated by the government for the 30 years he lost in, what he calls, the service of the nation. Without any existing official record, there is no way to verify Surjeet's claims.

Ajit Doval, former director, Intelligence Bureau, said: "There is nothing against Surjeet that indicates that the man was indulging in espionage as alleged by Pakistan's agencies."

A life of danger
However, cross-border couriers traditionally play a crucial role in collection of information in the subcontinent.

Such couriers, quite like Surjeet's claims, are part of the human intelligence network who add value to the information collected through either electronic or satellite means.




With the India-Pak border from Gujarat to Jammu and Kashmir almost completely fenced and huge leaps made in various surveillance technologies, cross-border couriers, though they still exist, are a dying breed.

When border fencing is in place, the life of a trans-border courier is more dangerous than playing Russian roulette. Guards on both the sides of the border know when the gate is opened and who goes through it.

Thus, the courier has to be a double agent who supplies information on India across border to the Pakistan Rangers and then links up with another courier who in turn introduces him to a source for further information.

These couriers act only as agents of intelligence agencies and are not paid employees. The information collected by them is low-grade and is often of low value.

For instance, they might pick up movement of tank trailers or aircraft, or a sharp dip in purchase of vegetables or meat by a particular enemy formation near the border to indicate troop movement. For this service, couriers either get cash rewards or are quietly allowed free passage of smuggled goods.

Evolving the game
With the advent of technology, those days are long gone when Indian agents or moles would be injected across the border after circumcising them and giving them false identities.

These agents would later write letters conveying personal welfare on one side of the page and information with secret ink on the other. These would be posted to a pre-determined address in Dubai or other parts of the Gulf for pick-ups.

Today, the spying game has become far more sophisticated and even sending intelligence reports from missions through the diplomatic bags has become outdated with TV news channels beaming live information from other countries round the clock.

Indian spy tradecraft is actually quite evolved since it has been practiced assiduously from times of Chanakya during the Mauryan empire. The R&AW, for instance, recruits around 600-700 personnel each year with executive cadre being picked up from some 36 Group A government services.

There are some 13 cadres within the R&AW like technical, telecommunications and language, which are tasked to defend India's national security and collect denied information for policy formulation against an adversary.

Besides, the executive cadre is hired from identified group A services on the basis of examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and inducted into R&AW Allied Services (RAS).

The on-campus recruitment has been done away with this year as this route was often used by officers in the past to promote their own kith and kin.

The R&AW officers and personnel are posted in Indian missions abroad under official cover like other countries and are tasked to collect information and build contacts by their parent organisations.

The information collected is then sent through secure networks and analysed by experts before being passed on to the consumers.







RAW's elder sister Intelligence Bureau, which is in charge of India's internal security with personnel posted abroad, is largely officered by civil servants from Indian Police Services even though it has an in-house cadre and training.

The IB cadre is recruited through ministry of home affairs with personnel going up the ladder from constables, assistant central intelligence officer to deputy CIO to assistant director and thereon.

Trained in in-house institute in Lutyen's Delhi, the IB personnel are spread all over India through subsidiary IB units and also man posts on the border collecting intelligence that has a bearing on internal security.

Both R&AW and IB have operational wings which are mandated for special missions or objectives in pursuit of national policies.

Apart from the big two, the Military Intelligence has a mandate within 25 kilometer across the Indian borders and even Border Security Force operates on the borders.

Sometimes in fact, all the Indian agencies on the border depend on one Nawab or Ramzana or Kirpal to do the work on the basis of high deniability and the adversary also does the same. But the Indian spy world is much bigger than just running trans-border couriers.

It has a history of stellar operations and operators from the days of legendary IB director BN Mullick and R&AW chiefs like RN Kao and K Shankaran Nair.

Then there are likes of Ajit Doval, who is said to have walked into Pakistani nuclear establishment at Kahuta during his six-year long posting in Islamabad in the 1980s and was inside the Golden Temple during Operation Black Thunder in 1988 at the height of the Sikh-separatist movement in Punjab.

Awarded the Kirti Chakra, a military decoration, for a still-classified operation, Doval was later instrumental in blunting the edge of Kashmiri separatists during his posting in London.

His able comrade in IB operations wing and during Punjab militancy days was exceptional Nehchal Sandhu.

He at present heads the IB and is a counter-terror expert, planner and executor par excellence and a walking encyclopedia on Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Islamist terrorist groups.

The R&AW has had its own share of successes like the Bangladesh War, accession of Sikkim and keeping a watch on the enemies of friendly leaders in the subcontinent.

The present R&AW chief Sanjiv Tripathi has had his own share of success in help forging the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Agreement between Bangladesh and Hill Tracts tribals.

Behind enemy lines - Hindustan Times

[lightoftruth]

offtopic but title reminded me of this Behind Enemy Lines (2001) - IMDb
nice movie.

[Ambitious.Asian]

It feels Sad.

[third eye]

This is called ' The Fog of War".

[manofwar]

Behind enemy lines - Hindustan Times

Yeah I saw the article too in Hindustan Times Delhi. But aren't these contacts or the couriers?? I believe the actual spies are recruited through RAW allied Cadre, isn't it??

[Fazlu]

I hate our media. Its a nuthouse.

[Bhai Zakir]

Anti India and pro pakistan manmohan singh should give go ahead to RAw's modernization, rebuilding of organization and its missions behind enemy lines.

RAW have successfully culled insurgency in punjab by adopting tit for tat strategy.

[samantk]

Whether one accepts or not, one of the many risks is indeed being disowned.. they cannot demand to be acknowledged.. However, there is nothing which stops the government to give exceptional benefits to their families..

India should work on it, if you cannot take care of the rest of their domestic tensions how will you expect them to remain loyal?

These incidents set a bad example..

[ajtr]

RAW have successfully culled insurgency in punjab by adopting tit for tat strategy.

RAW culled insurgency in Punjab?Give credit where is due.Ie Benazir bhutto,Who during her first stint as PM gave the list of all the terrorists operating in punjab which help GOI to effectively clamp down on terror in punjab.

[whythiskolaveridi]

RAW culled insurgency in Punjab?Give credit where is due.Ie Benazir bhutto,Who during her first stint as PM gave the list of all the terrorists operating in punjab which help GOI to effectively clamp down on terror in punjab.

Why was not Benazir Bhutto given Bharat Ratna just like Morarji Desai was awarded Nishan-e-Pakistan??

Do not play down the efforts of Security Forces and Intelligence Agencies.

[Sergi]

Why was not Benazir Bhutto given Bharat Ratna just like Morarji Desai was awarded Nishan-e-Pakistan??

Do not play down the efforts of Security Forces and Intelligence Agencies.

I personally think Morarji was awarded Nishan-e-Pak for defeating Indira which Pak couldn't do. Correct me if I am wrong or there are any other reasons for that award

[Aeronaut]

Anti India and pro pakistan manmohan singh should give go ahead to RAw's modernization, rebuilding of organization and its missions behind enemy lines.

RAW have successfully culled insurgency in punjab by adopting tit for tat strategy.

RAW is not made up for internet wanking brain farters. They know their 'dadies' on this side are one step ahead of them and they do know what they are dealing with and have respectul fear for their 'dadies'. We are experts on tit for tat , just ask soviets.

Yea and if you don't have the brain cells to notice , ISI made Benazir list up all sikh insurgent groups strong holds , training and funding details as a Gambit , a tit for tat to avenge the mass murder of muhajirs at the hands of Sikhs. They don't deserve a homeland.

[samantk]

RAW is not made up for internet wanking brain farters. They know their 'dadies' on this side are one step ahead of them and they do know what they are dealing with and have respectul fear for their 'dadies'. We are experts on tit for tat , just ask soviets.

We are not taking about soiviets, cut your crap and try staying on topic!

[Sergi]

Whether one accepts or not, one of the many risks is indeed being disowned.. they cannot demand to be acknowledged.. However, there is nothing which stops the government to give exceptional benefits to their families..

India should work on it, if you cannot take care of the rest of their domestic tensions how will you expect them to remain loyal?

These incidents set a bad example..

The people who work in these cenarios do know the fact that they will be disowned. They new it from day first. So themself choose to accept that.
How Govt is supposed to help the one who is caught ( failure in job ) and after coming home is going to sue the agency ???

Fact being agency definatly took good care of its agents. Otherwise we would have seen thousands of such cases. But some people make it worst with their own hand.
What was the point in going to court ??? Nobody can prove anything. But people will defiantly doubt that THAT person is working on instructions from abroad

[KRAIT]

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RAW is not made up for internet wanking brain farters. They know their 'dadies' on this side are one step ahead of them and they do know what they are dealing with and have respectul fear for their 'dadies'. We are experts on tit for tat , just ask soviets.

Yea and if you don't have the brain cells to notice , ISI made Benazir list up all sikh insurgent groups strong holds , training and funding details as a Gambit , a tit for tat to avenge the mass murder of muhajirs at the hands of Sikhs. They don't deserve a homeland.

I think BLA and TTP is one of the prime example how covertly RAW supports them. Any terror incident happens in India, world sees it worof ISI, but if it happens in Pakistan, world see it as Pakistan's own wrong doing. Now who is the daddy....?

I have said multiple times, RAW is one of the most successful organization like CIA. CIA helped in defeating SU, RAW helped in carving out BD. Where as ISI has not been able to get any land from India for Pakistan.

There are just setbacks RAW had.