Pakistan

India funded militants in Kashmir to counter ISI: ex-RAW chief

Dulat says Indian government quite often paid for air fares, medical treatment and general upkeep of separatists

Web Desk July 04, 2015

PHOTO: IDRW.ORG

In the first admission of its kind, former chief of India’s premier spy agency (RAW) said Indian intelligence agencies have over the years paid militants and separatists, along with mainstream politicians and political parties in Indian Kashmir to compete with Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI.

"So what's wrong? What is there to be so shocked or scandalised by. It's done the world over," former RAW Chief AS Dulat said, while speaking to NDTV’s Barkha Dutt.

Elaborating, Dulat said the Indian government quite often paid for the air fares, medical treatment and general upkeep of even hardened pro-Pakistan separatists like Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Read: RAW at frontline to sabotage Economic Corridor, China warns Pakistan

Continuing with the revelations, the former RAW chief admitted India's 'spooks' had been in touch with everyone from 'separatists and militants’.

“One of India's most wanted terrorists Syed Salahuddin was in touch with me and was ready to leave Pakistan and return to India.”

Further, defending the use of money in Indian-Kashmir, the former RAW chief said it was done in the hope of engaging militants and separatists and also to compete for influence with the ISI.

Read: Out in the open: Army accuses RAW of fuelling terror

"Corrupting someone with money is more ethical and smarter than killing him," he added.

Dulat's statement comes weeks after a verbal tirade between Pakistan and India. Recently, Pakistani leaders and the military have constantly been accusing RAW of funding terror activities in Pakistan. In a a rare public statement after a meeting on May 6, top military commanders accused RAW of fuelling terrorism in the country.

This article originally appeared on NDTV.

COMMENTS (32)

Lakhkar Khan | 9 years ago | Reply @Ram Dargad: You said: "India helped Bangladesh at the request of Shaikh Mujib who polled most votes in a democratic election in Pakistan & rightly represented Pakistan". Bengal was Pakistan's internal issue. It was non of India's problem. Who gave the right to break country into half? The same is being done in Pakistani territory by funding terrorists in Balochistan, Sindh and Taliban in Pukhtunkhwa. Pakistani government has obtained proof of Indian involvement while Indian agents are being arrested. It is true about you Hindus: “bughul me churee and mon pe Ram Ram”.

Ram Dargad | 9 years ago | Reply As anticipated, ET did not publish my reply below to a Pakistani comment addressed to me..I would love to know the reason, so that we dont waste our time. @Afzal: India has never denied its involvement in liberation of Bangladesh. I do not know, which international law allowed Pakistani Military rulers to deny Shaikh Mujib his right to lead his country after winning the democratic election. The atrocities in East Pakistan by Pakistani military had burdened India with 10 Mn refugees, thereby violating rights of a sovereign state. Mass murders & rapes of that era are estimated & documented by independent observers. Your hatred of India & equating it with Hindu will not change the perception of civilized world on on our 2 countries.

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Gp65 | 9 years ago | Reply @Sardar KHAN: This simply proves, that Pakistan's paid proxies were bought by India so they would not harm India. It also proves that those creating terrorism in Kashmir were not motivated by ideology but rather ISI money. Had they been motivated by ideology, RAW would not have been able to buy them off. In any event, nowhere does this show that India funded people to create terrorism in Pakistan - which is the claim Pakistan has been making.

Deepak | 9 years ago | Reply Misleading title We are countering ISI in "our territory" that means that you are acknowledging what raw chief is telling that ISI indeed operates.

ravi | 9 years ago | Reply If you beleive Dulat then you should also beleive what Hurriyat has to say.

JSM | 9 years ago | Reply Kante se kanta nikalana- what is wrong?

Singh | 9 years ago | Reply @Ibrar: Look like somebody step on your tale. Oof it hurt you.

Lakhkar Khan | 9 years ago | Reply @Sara: Similarly, you Indians scare us with your stench.

Afzal | 9 years ago | Reply @Ram Dargad: Yes opening of mind is essential to allow facts to sink in! Yet you have closed your mind when saying sheikh Mujib asked India to help. You do not say how India helped and whether that help was with in the international rules. India did not only organise a trained Mukti Bahini but also in the guise of Mb infiltrated its regular army into our territory. Your Prime minister recently admitted his guilt that Indian army fought hand in hand with Bengalis to liberate BD. By doing so you were invading a sovereign country and commiting an organised international crime....but you and your leadership will not realise this as your philosophy is driven by ancient Hundu rules which will not change no matter how civilised the world should become. Your minds may be closed but we understand India's role in BanglaDesh and the role you played will remain a debt on you until a similar opportunity comes our way. Pakistan is much stronger than what it was in 1971 and you will know that yourself one day. There is not just one militancy in India but many and we will be watching them with open eyes and mind.

Sardar KHAN | 9 years ago | Reply All those Indians,who were calling for proof from Pakistan of its interference must be mugs.Now the worm is coming out of wood.The Indians are confessing their sins openly and free will.So the world should take notice. Next Indians will confess for the plots of terrorism inside india were ploted and executed by the agents of RAW itself and not by Lakhnavi and Hafiz Saeed at all.Wait for the day when the truth will be told by these terrorist managers of india.

ask | 9 years ago | Reply So much for the "freedom fighters"!!

Ram Dargad | 9 years ago | Reply @AA: India funding anti-India separatists to win them over is not same as Pakistan funding anti-Indian terrorists to create violence & kill innocent people in India. India helped Bangladesh at the request of Shaikh Mujib who polled most votes in a democratic election in Pakistan & rightly represented Pakistan. Pakistan is helping a bunch of separatists in Kashmir, who represent less than 0.1% of India’s population. It requires an open mind to understand this difference.

Smit | 9 years ago | Reply I think this was obvious to everybody who had any common sense at all. India must have used money besides the counter insurgency operations to quell the militancy in Kashmir. Pakistan paid the separatists to start a war against India and India bought them back to pretend to make war against India or to participate in the mainstream politics.

Babloo | 9 years ago | Reply Great to see India engage even separatists using non-violent means.

observer | 9 years ago | Reply So the Pakistan supported "freedom fighters" were also taking money from India. This proves that the so-called freedom fighters are nothing more than opportunistic crooks who make young boys cannon fodder while they themselves and their families enjoy a good life.

Umber | 9 years ago | Reply Look, Indians. If you hearts are bleeding so much for the Kashmiris in Pakistani administered Kashmir, if you think they are being so brutally oppressed by Pakistan and everything, then there is a simple solution: hold that plebiscite in which all the Kashmiris will exercise their self-determination. If our Kashmiris have it so bad and your Kashmiris are so happy living with India, then you Indians should have nothing to fear from a plebiscite.

Sara | 9 years ago | Reply @Shakti: If Pakistan has occupied Kashmir, why is it the one constantly calling for the resolution of the Kashmir issue by the Kashmiri people's own right of self-determination? Do you know that Amnesty International has put out yet another damning report about India's brutal barbarity to the Kashmiri people while international human rights agencies never put out any such reports of any human rights abuses in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. So be very careful about hurling "occupation" accusations against Pakistan. Those living in glass houses should not throw stones.

B | 9 years ago | Reply @Ibrar: Your ranting is scaring us Indians.

Brar | 9 years ago | Reply @Asad: Who says AJK occupied it is an independent country having its own Army, its own currency but no Kashmiri can become Chief Secretary, IG Prisons, Accountant General they are all exported from Pakistan and the PM of AJK is subordinate to cabinet secy Pakistan and goes receieve the Civil services officer, yet it AJK.

Ibrar | 9 years ago | Reply @Last Word: @Shakti: There are two ways to be fooled, one is to believe what is not true, the other is to refuse to believe what is true. You guys will never know the reality until you stick your head out of your holes! The ex chief of RAW could only have given you clues, it is upto you to find answers. The freedom fighters are not about to give up, they have been it seems outsmarting the Indian spy agency by working on a plan .....take money but remain on side of Pakistan. What the ex chief also said and you guys seems to have ignored is the fact that there were also militants who refused to accept money....and remember these are the brave men who have been waving Pak flag in the valley and are determined to the core for their freedom. As for the question of POK, the incident of Kargil should be still fresh in your memory....despite suffering heavy losses and having five state of the art frontline fighter jets downed by Pak air defence as they tried to sneak near LOC, India did not dare to cross the line. Next time it's going to be even worst for you guys and this this time there is not going to be any outside mediation while you are being turned into a future coal reserve. The spy chief also made a voluntary reference of Indian funding to Pakistan's Altaf Hussain of MQM. When questioned by the anchor as to whether India did fund Altaf Hussain, the chief was not sure!!! What you guys do not understand is that the geo-political environment is changing fast and Pakistan is much stronger and sooner or latter funding to individuals is no longer going to work. India will have to come to realise it's mistake of iillegal occupation of Kashmir.

Asad | 9 years ago | Reply @Shakti: Pakistan occupied Kashmir haha, occupied is a place where you place army or law enforcement people. India has more than 500k army in Indian occupied Kashmir whereas Pakistan has not, and yet you call Azad Kashmir as Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Hypocrisy at it peak for its normal for you people.

Asad | 9 years ago | Reply @amartya Indian: You harbor terrorism not just Indian occupied Kashmir but in Pakistan as well. But hypocrites like you just see others.

AA | 9 years ago | Reply @Last Word: We say in Urdu, "Chit Bhi Upni aur Put Bhi Apni," means "if its head its mine and if its tail its mine too." When ISI does it its BAD, when RAW does it its "Chanakra Nitti." As Ex-President Musharraf says, "what terrorists, they are freedom fighters, fighting for the right to choose." He is ultimately right, we decide who is who, why accept definition from others. When India interfere it is helping the "freedom struggle" for Bangla desh, when Pakistan does it, its "sending terrorists across border."

Last Word | 9 years ago | Reply India is following Chanakya Niti in Kashmir to perfection 'One need not kill a poisonous snake but take out its venom to make it harmless'. No wonder, separatists and their leaders have been made toothless in Kashmir and Pak sponsored freedom struggle has come to naught.

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply The man speaks the truth.......because what he says makes sense.

Sada Pakhtun | 9 years ago | Reply Now, where are the sweet and nice Indians people and channels who claims to be decent like an "angel" and always abusing ISI or Pakistan for their own deeds such mumbai attacks etc.

samir | 9 years ago | Reply India has ceased to amaze me...

Shakti | 9 years ago | Reply Hahaha... there goes the "freedom struggle" theory. All these guys need is money. They'll sacrifice anything for it. Watch how India gets Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

amartya Indian | 9 years ago | Reply So what’s wrong? What is there to be so shocked or scandalised by. It’s done the world over.

Patrotic Baloch | 9 years ago | Reply We knew from the beginning that India is supporting militants in Balochistan and Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Pakistani | 9 years ago | Reply First Indian PM's confession and now India's spy chief has confessed. India is a terrorist country.

Liberal | 9 years ago | Reply Indians should think hundred times before blaming Pakistan for militancy.

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