NEW DELHI: Criticising Indian role of Indian security agencies, former chief of India’s premier intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Amarjit Singh Dulat, has said that the recent Pahalgam attack was a clear failure of Indian intelligence, however dismissed the possibility of a full-scale war between India and Pakistan.
Dulat’s comments came amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following an attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed severe retribution, stating that the perpetrators and their supporters would be “hunted down to the ends of the earth” and punished beyond imagination. He also granted the Indian armed forces “complete operational freedom” to decide the timing and nature of the response.
The former RAW chief urged restraint, highlighting the grave dangers of nuclear escalation. He said dialogue is the only way to deal with any controversy on political matters, instead of blaming each other. If not directly, countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, or the UAE may facilitate back-channel diplomacy,” he explained. Dulat admitted that the Pahalgam incident revealed serious lapses in security as there was no security in the area, it was a clear failure of security agencies. In Kashmir, intelligence can only come from Kashmiris. Keeping them on your side is crucial,” he said. On the other side, Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, army chief General Asim Munir, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, and military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, have reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peace while warning that any Indian military action would be met with a “befitting response.”Pakistan has called for an impartial international investigation into the Pahalgam attack, while China has supported this demand, adding an international dimension to the ongoing diplomatic crisis. He refuted the notion that Kashmiris were to blame for the attack. “Some local involvement is possible, but the real interference comes from across the border,” he alleged. At the same time, he warned against the rising trend of violence against Kashmiri citizens in other parts of India after the attack. “Kashmir is not a Hindu-Muslim issue. That narrative is dangerous and must be rejected.”
Read more:
US state dep; urges Pakistan govt to cooperate with India in Pahalgam attack investigation
