{"id":6734,"date":"2015-07-16T07:33:09","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T07:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/indialegalonline.com\/?p=6734"},"modified":"2015-07-16T07:33:09","modified_gmt":"2015-07-16T07:33:09","slug":"an-insiders-telling-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/cover-story-articles\/lead-updates\/an-insiders-telling-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"An Insider\u2019s Telling Tale"},"content":{"rendered":"
The former R&AW chief\u2019s book provides an insight into how governments actually function and how they deal with insurgencies<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n By Ajith Pillai<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n This is not the first time that those who served in Indian intelligence have penned their memoirs. But what sets AS Dulat\u2019s Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years apart is that it is written with a reporter\u2019s instinct of presenting recent history in a \u201cthis is how I saw the story unfold\u201d format. But in doing so, the writer has not excluded the human element and drama from the narrative. This makes the book readable, entertaining and credible. In fact, so much so that for a moment the reader may even forget that the ex-spook (Dulat served with the IB, headed R&AW and was in the PMO as part of Prime Minister Vajpayee\u2019s Kashmir peace initiative) has held back certain uncomfortable facts from his eyewitness account of what transpired since terrorism reared its head in the Kashmir Valley in 1988.<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, those who have covered Kashmir will note that the shocking human rights violations that were often brushed off as collateral damage inflicted on innocents in the fight against insurgency finds no mention in the book. Neither does it offer any insight on the prolonged deployment of the army and paramilitary in the Valley and its fallout on the civilian population. That said, it needs to be pointed out that the reader should not mistake Dulat\u2019s narrative to be a comprehensive history of the period covered by the book. This is a frank, personal and emotive account of a journey during which the author saw and observed much. In fact, distilling those memories into an engaging tale is the charm of the book.<\/span><\/p>\n Dulat\u2019s ringside view of events has already ruffled several feathers. There are many who are upset that he has written what he has. The Abdullahs are cut up. The PDP is also unhappy. There have also been discussions on TV on whether the writer should have pointed out strategy flaws in the handling of the Kandahar hijack. Was he making state secrets public when he \u201crevealed\u201d that insurgents willing to come over-ground were lured by the government with money and other sops? And should he have shared information about the intrigue, fears, apprehensions, priorities and suspicions that influenced our political leadership?<\/span><\/p>\n
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