"This generation in India needs to know how important a premier intelligence agency R&AW is, its commendable role in building India's internal security and ensuring national security" Former
Former R&AW officer R K Yadav recently released the updated version of his book, “Mission R&AW” that gives us the most inside insight on the R&AW and the journey of this country’s premier intelligence agency.
Yadav takes a reader step by step on the journey of R&AW in the country and highlights the important decisions of the agency in formation of Bangladesh, insurgency in Kashmir, border disputes with China and Pakistan and the Indian emergency.
RK Yadav exclusively speaks with the BW Policeworld about his book “Mission R&AW”.
1) You have recently come up with the updated version of “Mission R&AW”. Firstly, tell us the reasons behind writing this book.
I was a rebellion with a cause in the Indian intelligence services world. I joined R&AW in 1973. Within two years of working as young officer, I witnessed the Emergency. Indira Gandhi lost the PMship to Morarji Desai. The agency underwent a turbulent phase as Desai began to shorten the staff strength with a false notion that the agency was misused by Gandhi. The officers were in dark about their future and began looking for other options. I formed a union in R&AW in 1980 with the help of my friends which irked the top hierarchy. 33 employees who were protesting were arrested by Delhi Police in 1980 and a 12 day strike took place across the country. I was in constant talks with the top leaders of the league- Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Charan Singh, HN Bahuguna, LK Advani and many more. The R&AW founder and Chief then, RN Kao helped and guided a lot for this book. The book has intricate details of the role of R&AW in major developments in China, Tibet, Pakistan, Bangladesh and how R&AW changed. The R&AW’s work never gets the recognition that it should from this country. Kao who gave medal winning officers to this country is unheard of and I wanted this generation to know officers like RN Kao and R&AW.
2) Tell us about the unsung hero the first Chief of the R&AW, RN Kao.
R N Kao is the founder of R&AW. Kao was the officer of Federal Public Commission in 1940 and was allotted UP cadre. After the Independence, Intelligence Bureau was set up with police officer taken on deputation from various states. He joined the IB in 1948 as Assistant Director in-charge of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. After the death of Lal Bahdaur Shastri, Indira Gandhi took over as the PM of India in 1966. In 1968, she decided to form a separate intelligence department based on CIA of USA and M16 of Britain. She selected RN Kao who was Joint Director in IB then. Kao prepared a blue print for the new intelligence set up based on detailed studies of CIA, M16, French Intelligence, Mossad and Japanese Intelligence and the new external agency R&AW was created in 1968. K Sankaran Nair, another fine officer was selected as Kao’s deputy. He brought in several new divisions- information, science and technology, code breaking, satellite monitoring and more. Later in 1980s when terrorism grew in Punjab, Kao formed a guerrilla outfit in the form of National Security Guard (NSG) in 1984. His contribution to the internal security of the country from assisting Pandit Nehru to Indira Gandhi, setting up security structure in Ghana, eliminating Pakistan atrocities in East Pakistan to aiding Indira Gandhi merge Sikkim in India, Pokhran nuclear explosion to various foreign assignments that nurtured India’s relations with USA, UK and other countries, Kao was the gem of Indian intelligence world.
3) Please take us to the new chapter on NSA Ajit Doval that you have added in your book. What would you like to share about NSA Doval?
Ajit Doval is the main strength who is actually running this country. His selection as the NSA is the most apt decision this government took. As soon as he was appointed as the NSA, the terrorist attacks especially bomb blasts stopped in this country. When I met Doval recently, he asked me what I would have done with terrorist Hafeez Saeed. I responded that I would have killed him. I was wrong and he was right in keeping Saeed alive. The R&AW had prepared a file of terrorists to be eliminated during this present regime which did not get approved. I have learnt that recently the file has been approved and sent back to concerned authorities and we will see more clean-up operations. Doval is true nationalist, a workaholic, knows his work and takes a decision after a 360 degree analysis. After seeing his impactful work in last few years, I decided to add his work in this book.
I would like to highlight his work, starting with Bhutan. A move was afoot to open Chinese Embassy in Bhutan after PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Bhutan (his first foreign visit), the Bhutan PM denied the opening of the embassy. China was thus outmanoeuvred by Doval to open a diplomatic channel with Bhutan despite a treaty with India against such provisions.
Doval visited Sri Lanka in a defence seminar in 2014. He met former President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, Srisena and opposition leader Ranil Wickremeseinghe, head of the pro-US United National Party. He encouraged several law makers including Srisena to defect from Rajpaksa group. Wickremeseinghe was convinced not to contest against Rajpaksa so that someone else can take on him to ensure his defeat. Kumartunga was the linchpin of this plot. When I asked Doval about Sri Lanka, he smiled and said, “kar to diya seedha”. Rajpaksa was ousted in a bloodless coup on his turf by Doval. Srisensa restored the erstwhile friendly relations with India.
His role in the land border agreement with Bangladesh, was a landmark achievement. He used a “double squeeze” strategy with Pakistan and launched Uri surgical strike where the IAF crossed the international borders for the first time after the 1971 war. It was very difficult for the present government to understand the Chinese diplomacy. It was due to Doval’s strategy of turning towards USA that brought major developments. Soon after that USA backed India in getting missile technology control regime, the Australia Group, the Wessanar Arrangement and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The Doklam crisis of 73 days was solved by Doval. However, the standoff with China needs more resolutions.
4) As an R&AW officer tell us about the role of R&AW in the Bangladesh war.
I would say that the war of East Pakistan was created by R&AW to give an answer to atrocities of Pakistan. The agency created such situations that Pakistan had to accept the defeat and leave East Pakistan and Bangladesh was formed. Within two weeks of the Indian forces fighting in the war, 93,000 soldiers of Pakistan Army surrendered and left Bangladesh. Before the entry of the Indian Army R&AW had a big role to play. Indira Gandhi asked then Army Chief Sam Manekshaw on the time he would take to prepare the Army. He had replied six months. Since the Army was not prepared for immediate action, R&AW raised a guerrilla outfit that harassed the Pakistan Army till Indian Army was prepared for the war. An outfit was formed of East Bengal nationals with training from R&AW, BSF, police and others named ‘Mukti Bahini’. With minor success in the beginning the Mukti Bahini expanded to major guerrilla techniques later aiding the Indian armed forces too by gathering support of over 6000 villages in East Pakistan, bomb explosions and more. R&AW’s specialized units- Mujeeb Bahini (special frontier force) in Chittagong Hill Tract, Kader Bahini (an outfit of R&AW operative Tiger Siddique) played pivotal role in readying the East Pakistan for a war before Army stepped in.
5) Tell us what you have shared about Pakistan War for your readers in the book.
The hunger for power of then General of Pakistan, Ayub Khan led to Pakistan’s intrusion in Rann of Kutch to further lead to boundary dispute of Sindh province. After losing out on few posts at the Rann of Kutch, Ayub Khan trained guerrilla units of Razakars and Mujaihids in POK to infiltrate in J&K under ‘Operation Gibraltar’. Pakistan achieved nothing with this operation as they lacked local support from Kashmir and before they could succeed, they were overpowered by the Indian Army. However, this operation invited a full-fledged war with Pakistan in 1965. Pakistan then launched ‘Operation Grand Slam’ against India after which the Indian Army decided to attack in Punjab sector to detract Pakistan from the offensives in the Chhamb. There were allegations of intelligence failure but Sankaran Nair had claimed that IB sent credible reports in advance about Pakistan’s preparation for a war but it was military intelligence’s lacuna that it could not provide timely report to the armed forces. The book has intricate details on this.
6) Let us talk about the most discussed issue on Kashmir and what does your book highlight about it?
As an officer who worked in R&AW, I would dare to say that Kashmir neither wants to be with India nor Pakistan. Let me narrate a story on Sheikh Abdullah who had great ties with Pandit Nehru. When Sheikh Abdullah’s anti India sloganeering went out of control, Nehru had got him arrested in 1956. However, after his release he restarted the same campaign. In order to make him understand the real emotions of Kashmiris and analyse the developments in POK, he asked him to stay there for some time and inform whether the Kashmiris in Kashmir are in better condition or those in the POK? Sheikh Abdullah got the answers but still didn’t change. Nehru’s death gave him more opportunities to continue his campaign however Indira Gandhi straightened him. When his son, Farookh Abdullah took over, situation changed as he was easy-going. When Mufti Mohmmad was the CM and his daughter was abducted, forces like Yasin Malik and his supporters rose. It was because of them the allegations on the Indian Army started. Pakistan turned Kashmir into a terror bed with terror outfits mushrooming in valley. The Kashmiris were torn between the notion of Army atrocities and terrorism in garb of much promised “freedom”. A normal Kashmiri was “exhausted”.
The abrogation of Article 370 is a landmark move to tell Pakistan that enough is enough. NSA Ajit Doval camped in Kashmir for 15 days and ensured our nation flag is hoisted in every corner of the Kashmir to warm Pakistan that Kashmir cannot be misused henceforth. The formation of Panchayats in J&K is a major move to ensure that administration reaches to the grassroots level and subsequently monitored. Pakistan has been blocking the Indian administration to work in J&K to continue terror activities. The political leaders are recently getting attacked in Kashmir which is a proof that Pakistan doesn’t want the Indian administration to reach every village of J&K.
R&AW had started two important operations in Pakistan in 1970s- Jiye Sindh agitation which was abruptly stopped by Morarji Desai. It is disheartening to say that Desai made many wrong decisions only because he felt that R&AW was behind the Emergency atrocities. We had another operation in Balochistan and Pakshnumistan which can be milked today to counter Pakistan. A successful way to overpower Rawalpindi and Karachi is our operations we started in Sindh and Baluchistan.
Besides the burning issues of Kashmir, Pakistan, China, the book interestingly has chapters on Purulia arms dropping mystery case, a special mention of CIA agent Rabinder Singh, Ratan Sehgal trapped by CIA, the vanished men of R&AW to mention a few. Yadav stated that he wants the readers to read these stories to understand the importance of the R&AW officers and reasons why USA, Russia and UK wished to include R&AW officers in their operations.
R K Yadav was born and brought up in Delhi. Following his passion to serve the country, he chose intelligence services over police services where he believes national security depends highly on a toughened intelligence set up of any country. With his 33 years of rich experience of working as a R&AW officer in Rajasthan, Punjab that shared the border with Pakistan, Delhi Headquarters of R&AW and handling the China Desk of the agency, Yadav offered relentless service to the country's premier intelligence agency.
Yadav is also an author of "Nucler Bomb in Ganga" which he expressed was presented to the present NSA Ajit Doval who appreciated both the books of Yadav.
(The facts and statements in the interview are of the author R K Yadav. BW Policeworld & BW Businessworld is not responsible for the incidents, facts and narration officer Yadav shared in the interview and/or his book. The book is the research of his own and collection of the facts)
