One of the first and most brutal lessons—which became a guiding principle in my own methodology as a spook—that Kashmir taught me was that the gun is the most counterproductive means to an end. In January 1990 alone, the Intelligence Bureau lost four officers to the bullet within the space of three weeks. That helped crystallize my line of thought. We will all die by the gun, so why not talk? That was the most obvious question in my mind, as I watched the violence of the winter of 1989–90 come to a head. The idea is to get to the persons you’re aiming to get—and engage with them. I have always felt that engagement is crucial, even if it must be kept secret. We spooks are sinners, after all—more than we are saints. We talk to our enemies more than we talk to our friends.
I look at it like this. Whether it is a politician or a prime minister, or even members of our bureaucracy, they are entitled to look at life differently. Spooks do provide politicians not only with crucial information but also a cover for accountability. A spook’s way of looking at the same thing should be different, but yet we have had chiefs who have been too straitlaced. As a result, Delhi has seen things only in black and white. That doesn’t work in difficult areas, like the Northeast, in Punjab or in Kashmir. Kashmir, in particular, is mostly grey and constantly in need of empathy, compassion and compromise. It took Delhi a very long time to understand Sheikh Abdullah, and even today we do not...
Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihQFodHRwczovL3RoZXByaW50LmluL3BhZ2V0dXJuZXIvZXhjZXJwdC93aHktcGFraXN0YW4tbGllcy1hdC10aGUtaGVhcnQtb2YtaW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlLWJ1cmVhdXMtbGFjay1vZi1pbWFnaW5hdGlvbi1pbi1rYXNobWlyLzEyODU5MzUv0gEA?oc=5
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.
