In a detailed and comprehensive interview to discuss the terror attack on a military truck in the Bhimber Gali area of Poonch on April 20, former R&AW head A.S. Dulat says “this is a wake-up call that should ring alarm bells in Delhi”. He says the army clearly dropped its guard and, because things have been quiet for a while and “complacency” set in. He believes the terrorists are often 2-3 steps ahead, smarter and, even, at times, better prepared than the security apparatus.In a 41-minute interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire, Dulat – one of India’s foremost experts on Kashmir, militancy and terror – said there are three elements of the situation in Kashmir that make him worried and make the situation seem scary. First, militancy, as a result of India’s muscular response, has been driven deep underground and has become subterranean and invisible. We do not know where and when it will pop up. Second, and perhaps as a result, our intelligence is not as good as it used to be. Third, the killers responsible for the targeted killings that have happened earlier are still around and they have not been caught and, therefore, are free and able to repeat what they have done. Dulat also fears that more people may have joined the ranks of these killers by crossing the line of control from Pakistan.Also, in light of what has happened, Dulat believes the government should certainly hold the G20 meeting in Srinagar but not in May. He believes it should be held closer to the G20 Summit, around September.Dulat’s assessment, both of what happened on Thursday as well as his assessment of the general but worrying situation in the Valley, deserves to be heard directly.Dulat responded in considerable detail to questions like what is the People’s Anti-Fascist Front, the Jaish-e-Mohammed proxy which claimed credit for the attack, and why has the ISI chosen this moment to ‘authorise’ this attack. Dulat firmly believes the ISI is behind the attack.In a detailed description of the Bhimber Gali area, Dulat says it is “a playground for spies”. His hunch is that there are probably a few ISI agents in Surankote. He says many of the families who live in this area have relatives in Pakistan and, therefore, divided loyalties. He calls it “hostile territory”.Against this background, Dulat explains why he thinks the army let down its guard and has become somewhat complacent. He discusses both how difficult sanitising road routes can be and also, in this instance, how it seems it was poorly done. He says that US President Joe Biden’s visit to India in September for the G20 Summit is another moment which is likely to be exploited by the terrorists to do something that attracts international attention. He says this is precisely what happened when Bill Clinton visited India in 2000 and the Chittisinghpura massacre happened.When asked what steps the government should take, the former R&AW chief strongly and repeatedly identified three. First, talk to the mainstream political parties i.e. National Conference and PDP. Second, talk to Pakistan. Third, hold state elections in Jammu and Kashmir as early as possible and restore full statehood.More significantly, Dulat explains in detail why he believes Ajit Doval, the National Security Advisor, should be the man in charge of India’s Kashmir policy because, as he put it, Doval understands Kashmir and knows the solution and the way forward.
