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An Indian spy in Pakistan
Is it just a fantasy to portray Madhuri Gupta as a hysterically vengeful mole? One has to be particularly naive to...
The writer is an Indian author and columnist (farzana.versey@tribune.com.pk)
Is it just a fantasy to portray Madhuri Gupta as a hysterically vengeful mole? One has to be particularly naive to believe that spies can compromise a nation’s security, especially in a world of hackers and satellites that can count the number of hair in a politician’s ears. Opinion pieces and reports on the Indian diplomat’s case have been chauvinistic, besides being fairly lame.
Had Gupta not been “lonely and frustrated,” would she be less dangerous? Why did the government need to call her on a pretext rather than just summoning her? Did she really want to get back at her seniors for ill-treatment? Did her colleagues desire a piece of the action too? If she is being framed, then it makes no political or tactical sense.
Foreign offices do not possess strategic information about defence matters within the home country. The real issue appears to be the creation of an undercover subculture and obfuscate the role of well-entrenched intelligence agencies in India and Pakistan. It became amply clear when there was a minor whimper that the spy drama might affect talks between the two countries at the Saarc Summit. The dialogue was to be a placebo, but this ruse came in handy.
While newspapers have been giving us examples of ‘honey traps’ from history, they haven’t bothered to emphasise recent examples. Remember Kashmir Singh who returned home after 35 years in Pakistani prisons and revealed that he had been a spy for Indian military intelligence? He got himself circumcised before venturing across the border, brushed up on his Urdu, ate beef and fasted during Ramzan. He was paid Rs480 per month till his arrest. He chose not to reveal more and changed his stance but, surprisingly, there was no further probing.
Human rights activist Ansar Burney was all treacle about how his release symbolised efforts by India and Pakistan to normalise relations. “Never before have we seen an Indian prisoner being escorted in a flag car of a minister,” he said. Why did the spy sound as though a favour had been done? Why did he return to a “hero’s welcome?” Sarabjit Singh, who has been given the death sentence, was in one version a drunken farmer who crossed over by mistake.
He later said he had gone to Pakistan 17 times, which means he was given to making the same mistakes. In another version, he was forced to confess, which is not unlikely. But he was also arrested in five bomb blast cases. We are left confused over whether espionage work entails such activities as well. He also told a Pakistani court that he was a RAW agent. There are several innocent fishermen who get thrown off to the other shore and are arrested.
M L Bhaskar in An Indian Spy in Pakistan (translated into English by Jai Ratan) mentioned the names of some of our defence officers who were in jail — he got this from a Pakistani official during his own stint in a Pakistani prison. But does the external affairs ministry speak up for these fishermen as they did in Sarabjit’s case? Are such special instances chosen at random? In Gupta’s case certain information has been “lost”. In a digitalised world where you cannot erase even memory cards and hard disks completely, this sounds suspicious.
What is even more alarming is a news item that stated, “Officials said they were also questioning the RAW station chief in Islamabad, R K Sharma, to see what he knew and what he had picked up from her.” India has a RAW station chief in the Pakistani capital? Is an ISI chief positioned in Delhi? Should we be amused and refer to these as confidence-building measures? The real cause for worry is not the espionage, but the behind-the-scenes manoeuvres where the mole is a mere marionette.
Reader Comments (14)
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Couldn’t agree with you more. Interesting article indeed!Recommend
Farzana
The lack of logic in your article is regrettable!
“One has to be particularly naive to believe that spies can compromise a nation’s security especially in a world of hackers and satellites that can count the number of hair in a politician’s ears.”
Yeah all the secret info is either readable by satellite or on the internet where it can be hacked!
Had Gupta not been “lonely and frustrated,” would she be less dangerous?
Duh! perhaps she might not have fallen to the honey trap?!
Why did the government need to call her on a pretext rather than just summoning her?
Duh! to avoid her defecting in pakistan itself!
“India has a RAW station chief in the Pakistani capital?
Should we be amused and refer to these as confidence-building measures?”
India would be stupid not to have a intelligence network in the “Most dangerous country in the world” (Dangerous to the free world in general and India in Particular). Remember the famous (I think Reagan) Quote? Trust but check. In case of Pakistan the world cant even trust!
The real cause for worry no the eternal cause for worry is the eternally backward neighbour who is not just a “Problem” for the neighbourhood but the entire world.Recommend
@goutham, your spy was in Pakistan how can you point fingers at India? We are not a problem for the whole world. Your false sense of superiorty won’t change facts. RAW is in our country to spy like any organization. The world does not care.Recommend
Goutham,
Every country has problems, India too, Naga Land, Kashmir, Bihar. Well I can savely say that most of our population (more than 50%) are not below poverty line.
Its just sad that we do not have the marketing machine that India has, otherwise trust me, we would be far better looking than you guys, Incredible India, incredile alright: half the people live under the sun & the moon at nite.
So before you cast stones at otehr, do take a closer look at yourselves atleast & be fair.Recommend
The article is alrite but wat’s even more interesting is mr. goutham’s over-sensationalised commentary that followed it. I have many indian friends, they all have different opinions and stances and i respect them as friends but the tone in which goutham is passing comments is very disappointing. it has actually shocked me to the extent that i ve started recalling my experiences wid my indian friends and comparing those wid the one i just went thru reading this biased and extremist view of an indian. Neither i want to question the indian mentality nor im going to reciprocate in the same prejudice way. We can not generalise wat indians think or wat r they like for that matter just on the basis of some unlogical, extremist and provoking views. I dont even bother to argue wid someone who is so stuck up and illiterate that he s calling ‘a nuclear power’ a backward neighbour. we r no threat to any one and we dont have to explain it. I am positive about my country in specific and the world in general and yes india also comes in that. I am a proud pakistani and here im representing an ordinary pakistani. This is exactly how most of the Pakistanis think. This is exactly how the Pakistan thinks.Recommend
KGB anyone?Recommend
Haha, your funny, obviously not very logical but funny. Congrats!Recommend
The writer makes some good points and her woman sympathy is understandable but in all history females have used charms to get secrets from men. No female James Bond is there.
Also don’t blame human rights people, they are doing good work.Recommend
I have studied Indian intelligence methods for many years, or at least tried to from various obscure news reports, such as your, that I have collected over the years.
I think it is important to remember the cases you cite are the rare exection not the rule.
Most if not all Indian intelligence operations, inside Pakistan are completely invisible. In that you never hear about them…
Indian spy’s are expert at traditional intelligence gathering techniques!
Furthermore they are very adept at the “hidden hand” espionage methods they employ in various countries, including Pakistan.
Some, including myself, believe the Indian government operate one of the most effective intelligence services in the entire world – second to none.
We know the Indian’s operate the worlds oldest intelligence agency.
One that is completely shrouded in secrecy.
No intelligence agency is more mysterious or strange to the western world or mindset.
Robert TilfordRecommend
All,
I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings by calling your country backward – I meant backward in fostering a culture where exterimists can thrive I didnt mean it in a meterialistic sense. But my main point has been lost which is there is no logic in this article. When you argue a position it is important that you have a very sound reasoning to back it up. I’m kind of disappointed this article went past the editors. Regarding spies -every country has spies – afterall each country is serving its own interests! Congrats to your agencies for developing an agent and congrats to ours for finally catching her.Recommend
The nit-picker nitpicks: ET staff should not have removed the one line regarding Sarabjit Singh’s case:
Curiously, even top Pakistani officials engaged in a dialogue on this subject.
It might have got people to go more LOL-peela…
Thanks for the comments.
I regret nothing and as Gloria Steinem said wearing her fishnet stockings, “Logic is in the eye of the logician.”
I think the days when people buried secrets under the sand are gone, unless your secret is the head of an ostrich. Btw, the 2 Indians in the 26/11 case have been let off because they said the culprits used Google maps.
Even a queen bee can fall for a honey trap.
Ah, if she wanted to defect she would not sit in Jinnah Super of all places.
The Arabs got there before Reagan and as one of their sayings goes, “Trust in god, but tie your camel.” Too bad if you don’t have a camel.
Who needs a female James Bond. We had the remarkable Inayat Noor.
KGB is so last summer.
Funny enough?Recommend
Interesting article Farzana. I really enjoy your take on the situation. However I am disturbed by the strong comments I have read in response. As we all know how our underlinning problems of co existance have spread over six decades. We just need to bridge the gaps and push our governments to do more to resolve all the disputes. I wish for the day when cross border relationships will be better and the money spent on maiantaining two of the world’s largest armies and two of the most effecient/sophisticated spy agencies could be used for the welfare of people.Recommend
Pakistanis should know that Imams in their mosques particularly in NWFP are Indian RAW agents. Motivation of youngsters is done by these Raw agents sitting amongst you and leading you in prayers for suicide bombing. Pakistan should go to the root cause of where these Moulanas are coming from and how are they propagating things which are alien to Islam, Trust me RAW is more professional than ISI.Recommend
I am compelled to intervene regarding a couple of comments:
Robert Tilford:
Intelligence agencies are a behemoth and quite unlike individual spies. Therefore they are ‘exceptions’.
If, indeed, there is so much secrecy surrounding the Indian intelligence gathering techniques, then how does it become known?
I understand it is mysterious, but then how would one account for what happened at Sharm-al-Sheikh?
The pertinent point is does visibility of an intelligence organisation make it less culpable? If RAW knew everything, or pretty much a lot, then why is India vulnerable?
Incidentally, the role of RAW was upfront not only during but prior to the 1971 Bangladesh War. It acted almost like an integral part of the government.
I.M:
I am afraid you take away from the sometimes genuine issues of the people in what is a civil war. The Pashtun mentality is sturdier than your regular politician’s. I doubt whether the presence of maulanas ought to surprise one in an Islamic Republic. Who was behind the Lal Masjid movement?
I think one needs to see things in perspective rather than a linear fashion.
Zaigham Zaggi is right. But then we need the armies to buffer our own positions and egos.Recommend