Reviewed by ASIF ANWAR ALIG
Kashmir:
The Vajpayee Years, by A. S. Dulat with Aditya Sinha, HarperCollins Publishers
(India), Noida -201301, Year2015, 342pp, Indian Rupees 599, Hard.
eographic
and political inviolability suit a metaphor Big Brother for India among her neighbors—Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar et al. Co-authored by India’s former external
spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Chief A.S. Dulat with journalist Aditya
Sinha, Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years is an impudent evaluation of South
Asia’s biggest ever intelligence exercise on Indo-Pak relations in Kashmir
context.
India
had a visionary and statesman Prime Minister from non-Congress clout in Atal
Bihari Vajpayee. His all-encompassing efforts prepared New Delhi for a political
solution of Indo-Pak relations with counterpart Islamabad. Dulat served him in
PMO after service to RAW and was assigned on ‘Mission Kashmir.’ This book
narrates efforts that paved the way for Kashmir solution but author(s) haven’t projected
the strategic plans Vajpayee had envisioned.

Without
divulging intensifications on former Prime Minister’s initiatives this book rather
emerges into an autobiography of a spy. It explains author’s days in service
and has ample details on Kashmir issue by highlighting shortsightedness of politicians
after Vajpayee which hampered India’s Kashmir policy. The book has rational description
of roles by the consecutive governments to deal with the Kashmir issue that it
was often simply managed rather than bringing it into the verge of concrete resolution.
Kashmir
connection through regular postings paved the way for Dulat to play strategic
roles as an intelligence head. He kept an eye on the troubled region and was vocal
about it that had been often used like a pawn without any agency of it. A diatribe
on India and Pakistan policies on Kashmir this book critically assesses
political sycophancies.
Emphasizing
on factors like New Delhi’s unwillingness for change of status quo to snub the perspectives
of Jammu & Kashmir’s elected legislatives and leaders for their demands
this book presents a valid perspective on significant matters. It raises key question
of stances of Kashmiri leaders—from
both separatist and mainstream sides. Repeated arrogances from New Delhi and
Islamabad further worsened Kashmir conflict. Dulat hints that the issue had often
been deliberately tailor-made to keep the conflict thoroughly ensued.
Offering
insights on Kashmir issue this book is incongruously less intensified on Vajpayee.
Rather a biographic narration it summaries Dulat’s forays in Kashmir from early
1990s and roles to smoothen dialogues to talks from Vajpayee’s PMO. Besides planning
‘dialogues’ with Kashmiri leadership that included Shabir Shah and many others—separatists
to former militants—it sketches politicians like high profile Abdullahs, Mufti and
the rest. It becomes a reference literature to learn the Kashmir’s political
diaspora.
While
sketching Kashmiri politicians of numerous hues Dulat describes the misses of Shabir
Shah to stands of Firdous Baba and rest blunders. Obviously, a former
intelligence chief had to maintain certain parameters to open up intelligence
operations expositions in a book in the context of a troubled neighborhood. He expresses
political whammies bringing the mission into standstill time and again. In a
placid highlight author(s) bring visions, statesmanship and seriousness of Atal
Bihari Vajpayee to bridge Indo-Pak relations for Kashmir solution, albeit cursorily.
India had best opportunity for a historic solution while NDA government led by Vajpayee
was defeated and Dr. Manmohan Singh became Prime Minister.
Dr.
Manmohan Singh continued for a decade during UPA-I and UPA-II tenures but Mission
Kashmir literally messed up due to lack of interest on this vital relationship having
been developed earlier. Its prolongation could write the future of South Asia in
Indo-Pak ties context. Relationship could mature with counterpart Pervez
Musharraf having shown equal interest. Unwillingness by subsequent governments
across the borders caused the standstill.
Political
consequences from assassination of several Kashmiri leaders to split of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
separatist group besides role of its leaders Abdul Majeed Dar for a peaceful solution
until assassination in 2003 have been thoroughly analyzed. Situations, Dulat
explains, worsened further once several of Dar’s lieutenants were killed
mysteriously.
Former
Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao did promise that “sky was the limit” for
Kashmir solution. Dulat insisted that Rao aimed to coax Kashmir’s separatist
politician Shabir Ahmad Shah to participate in 1996 state assembly elections. He
could have emerged into big figure with proposed participation he missed and lost
the chance for once and forever.
Likewise,
rise and rise of Farooq Abdullah and his son in state’s political spectrum is also
projected. This book points out stages of broken promises on state autonomy to Farooq’s
promised escalation to the position of country’s Vice President that were not
kept. Standing at the crossroads of being cheated he encountered the doldrums. Rejections
on autonomy even though state government with ample majority passing resolution
has also been debated.
Dulat
recounts dialogue initiatives by New Delhi, and his vital roles in formulating
them for talks with separatist and mainstream leaders. He confesses that primary
motive of such talks were just to tide over the immediate crisis. Farooq, Omar
and Mufti couldn’t achieve success in making New Delhi agree to remove the draconian
AFSPA that still haunts Kashmir.
He saw the culmination of a mission proposed
by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004 to initiate talks between Hurriyat moderates
and New Delhi. Ironically it ended effortless in the absence of substantive willingness.
Consecutive governments took Kashmir policy a status quo therefore hollow
assurances on Kashmir proved futile.
This
book retaliates that at present New Delhi literally refuses to even acknowledge
Kashmir dispute. This issue was taken into account with an extreme interest by Atal
Bihari Vajpayee and his all-powerful National Security Advisor Brajesh Chandra
Mishra.
As
a former intelligence chief of India—the most strategically important South
Asian country—Dulat argues that for sustainable growth, prosperity and
intelligence coordination between neighbors the need is to initiate regular
interactions amongst intelligence chiefs and officers in neighborhoods. He
emphasizes for mature relationship between Pakistani and Indian intelligence
agencies ISI and RAW for sustainability.
Logical
analysis of Kashmir and its mindset, this book extensively narrates the ground
reality of contemporary Kashmir through outlining its history in last three
decades. An eyewitness of state’s descent into chaos since 1980s while valley began
to burn and Dulat was posted there until asked to monitor it from PMO between
1998 to 2004 he judged ongoing chaos and political gimmicks.
Through
this book author(s) daringly expose how separatists were often been used by both
India and Pakistan for vested interests. They emphasize that Vajpayee era from 1998
to 2004 was highly productive for Kashmir. Ironically that pace waned thereafter.
As visionary Prime Minister Vajpayee laid down the foundation for future peace which
hasn’t been sustained by any consecutive Indian and Pakistani government yet.
With
the defeat of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2004 General Elections the lasting
peace initiative for Kashmir was also lost. Suggested by then Pakistani
President Pervez Musharraf an out-of-the-box solution in consistency to visionary
ideas of Vajpayee was goofed up on the later stages.
Proposed idea of “making
borders irrelevant through allowing free movement of Kashmiris across the LoC
(Line of Control); self-governance meant to offer autonomy but not independence;
demilitarization and joint management mechanism” went in the back lane.
The
book under review appeared after the second coming of BJP in mainstream
politics. With Narendra Modi as India’s Prime Minister now, Dulat fails to
answer why the new government even didn’t have a strategic policy plan to revive
the old venture which party under Vajpayee had for Kashmir by keeping Pakistan
in loop. This book emphasizes on talks with Pakistan but narratives are less
intensified on the concrete outcome. It is partial and one-sided hence a New
Delhi perspective.
Had
we get to hear Pakistan side of story this book would have become a definite
reliance. Its current perspective lacks highlights on Indian security forces’ highhandedness
in Kashmir. It is least focused on hundreds of missing youths from 1980s
besides several other core areas not discussed at all. Indian security forces
have often been alleged for indiscreet roles in Kashmir.
The book has hardly pointed
out that. It could aptly reply why sizable section of the Kashmiri population is
alienated from the mainstream.
Although
Dulat carefully reveals operational details through maintaining consistency of not
a ‘tell-all’ approach his recounts offer good sense of tools used in an intelligence
mechanism. A self-eulogized documentation with cursory explanation of Vajpayee’s
insaniyat (humanity) framework this book fails to highlight the core
idea of context.
An empirical account of happenings Kashmir encountered
for decades, this book has a rare glimpse of state’s affairs. It therefore still
becomes groundbreaking to catch reader attention.
This review was first published in www.ceylontoday.lk on August 28, 2016
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