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SpywarsAuthor:RaviShankar

PublishedDate:Jul31,201110:16PMLastUpdated:May16,20128:50PM

Sexisoneofthepopularweaponsinspycraft,usedextensivelyinIndiabyPakistanandtoalesserdegreebytheCIA.

DaysbeforethepulchritudinousForeignMinisterofPakistan,HinaRabbaniKhar,wastomeetKashmiriseparatistYasinMalikin

LahoreonJuly25, Indian intelligenceknew.Especiallyafter lastyearscurfewriddenmonthsandviolence, theIntelligence Bureau (IB) and Military Intelligence (MI) were working overtime in Kashmir. They passed oninformationtoNewDelhithatHurriyatleadersSyedAliShahGeelaniandMirwaizUmarFarooqwerepreparingtoleave forNewDelhi on theeveof thePakistan foreignministers visit. Themandarinsof theMinistry ofHomeAffairs, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) that also included officers fromResearchandAnalysisWing(RAW)andIBmet.ItwasdecidedthatifRabbanimetHurriyatleadersatthePakistaniHighCommissioninNewDelhi,itcouldbeadvantageIndiathemoralhighgroundofademocracywheredissentistolerated.ItwouldalsoexposePakistanasacountryofficiallyencouragingseparatismandviolenceinKashmirfortheworldhasbeenwatchingsincetheFBIarrestedPakistansInterServicesIntelligence(ISI)lobbyistGhulamNabiFaiwhoreceivedmillionsofdollarsfromtheISItolobbyforKashmir.

Such is the smoke and mirrors world of espionagenothing is what it seems to be. We call it perceptionmanagement, says an intelligence officer. We communicate to the Pakistanis through separatists, especiallypeople like Mirwaiz and Malik. They say one thing in public, but to our counterparts in Islamabad, they saysomethingelseinprivateafterallMirwaizsfatherwasmurderedbytheISI,hisschoolburntdownandhisaidewasrecentlyshot.HehasnoloveforPakistan.WhenthingsgettoohotinKashmir,itistheywhotellPakistantobackoff,addstheofficer.

A senior Israeli diplomat posted in Delhi says that Indian intelligence is one of the finest in the world. Butinformation dissemination and coordination among Indias various intelligence agencies are a plague. Terrorrelatedinteloperationsareeffectiveonly ifyouhavegoodHUMINT(humanintelligence),saysJaidevRanade,former additional secretary in theCabinet Secretariat and counterintelligence expert. According to a senior IBofficial, the26/11 terroristswereusingSIMcardsplantedon themby theJammuandKashmirPolice. Its thesecardsthatopenedthegatewaythatenabledIndianintelligencetotrackthecallsandsourcethemtoPakistan.Thatinformationwas latersharedwithotheragencies,especially IsraelsMossad,after the twoPakistani terroristsBabarImranandNasiroccupiedChabadHousefor45hoursandkilledsixIsraelisduringtheattacks.AccordingtoCDSahay,formerdirector,RAW,therewasenoughintelligencetoavoid26/11.TheIsraelissaythatafter26/11,IndianintelligenceandMossadworkcloselytogether,especiallyonIslamicterror.Wehavecommoninterestsistheexplanation.

Thesubcontinentisabeehiveofintelligenceandcounterintelligenceactivityandspycraft.Therearetworeasonsforthis.OneisIslamicterrorwithAfPakasthehub.Two,Indiaisspendingbillionsofdollarsonarmamentandotherdefenceequipment.Together,theyarecompellingmotivesformostmajorintelligenceagenciestospreadtheirnetaswideaspossibleinIndia:themainplayersbeingapartfromtheubiquitousISItheCIA,theFSB(Russiasspyagency),ChinasMSS(MinistryofStateSecurity),DGFI(Bangladeshsintelligenceagency)andtheMossad.MI6andtheFrenchhaveapresence,too,but their informationgathering is largelyrelatedtodefence.Tomakefriends and influence people, various time tested methods are usedwomen, booze, bribes, foreign trips,scholarshipsandcybercraft.

SEXANDTHESPY

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The famous American spymaster, the CIAs Michael J Barrett, called espionage the worlds second oldestprofessionandjustashonourableasthefirst.Sexisoneofthepopularweaponsofspycraft,usedextensivelyinIndiabyPakistanandtoalesserdegreebytheCIA.TheRussiansandtheChinese,accordingtoRAWsources,prefertoentrapIndiandiplomatsabroad.

AseniorRAWoperativewhoheldpostingsinWashingtonandBeijingspeaksaboutaPakistaniLothariodiplomatinDelhiwhohadhalfofthecitysprominentsocialitesasfriends.HewaspostedasaFirstSecretaryhisespionageskillsgothimaquickpromotiontoCounselor.HismodusoperandiwastousehisformidableseductionskillsonhighsocietywomenwhohadaccesstothehighestlevelsintheIndianestablishment.ThemaleMataHariwouldgatherinformationthroughhisnetworkofsexualconquestssomeofthemevenhadparallelromanticrelationshipswith Indianbureaucrats,politiciansandevensomesenior journalists.AllPakistanihighcommissioners in Indiaentertain lavishly, and the capitals cr&egraveme de la cr&egravemejournalists, businessmen and socialbutterfliesis invited. Cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan lead to qawwalis andmushairas fertilegroundsforinformationharvesting.

Heevenkeptalittlediarythatlistedhisconquests,saysaseniorIBoperative.Womenwereclassifiedaccordingtotheirvitalstatistics,temperamentandregionMarwari,

Punjabi,BengaliorSouthIndian.HewrotethatBengaliwomenwerestubbornwhileBihariandPunjabiwomenwereeasiertomanipulate.

So,whentheIBhassuchdetailedinformationonaPakistanispy,whydonttheyexpelhim?Simple.Itseasiertokeepaneyeonaknownspy,aswellasontheIndianswhoareclosetohim.

AccordingtotheIB,theISImaintainsthreelevelsofoperatives.Atthelowestlevelarethosewhoarelowlypaidandaremerelyaskedtoreconnoitrecantonments,policestationsandgovernmentbuildingsandreportback.Thesecondrungismoretrustedforexample,theywouldbeaskedtocreatelongtermcoverstories:likeopeningasmallshopinthevicinityofthecantonment,cultivatelocalsandsoldiersandgatherinformationonofficers,andthecomingandgoingsoninthecantonment.

Thethirdareuniqueasspiesgoodlooking,physicallystrongyoungboysandmen.AnIndianintelligenceofficersaysthattheISItookaleafoutoftheEastGermanspymasterMarkusWolfsbooktocreatemalehoneytrapsandwoolonelysecretariesofinfluentialmeningovernment.Theywouldentraplonelydiplomats(likeMadhuriGuptawhowasarrestedin2010)orarmywives,includingthoseofnoncommissionedofficers.IndianintelligencewasalertedtothisoperationthroughtelephoneinterceptstracedtoPakistan.AmassivesexualoffensiveagainstIndiaisbeingplannedbytheISI,accordingtoIndianintelligenceinKashmir.Around900oddwomenspiesarebeingtrainedby ISI, to honeytrap important Indianestablishment figures.PunjabandKashmirpoliceare keepingalookoutforthePakistaniPussyGalorescrossingtheborder.

ARAWofficialsaysthatIndianintelligencecultivatesPakistaniassetsaswell,butmoreathomethaninKarachiorIslamabad. This is because the ISI keeps all Indians, both visitors and diplomats, on a tight leash. What thePakistanispywantsinexchangefirstissex.Thattoo,theyinsistonHinduwomenonly.Honeytrapsarenotourstyle,saysanintelligenceofficerwhohasservedabroadunderdiplomaticcover.ButthereareenoughcallgirlswhoarepassedoffasHinduwomen.Ofcourse,thePakistanispiesarealsopaidincashand

expensiveforeignliquorinexchangeforinformation.

RAWofficialssaythatPakistanipoliticiansvisitingIndiausuallydelegationsofMPsaskforfilmactressesandstarletsas localentertainment.The ISIconnects them toupscalepimps,who thenareput in touchwithvisitingPakistanipoliticos.TherearetravelrestrictionsonPakistanis,sothegirlsareflownintoDelhi,saysanIBsource.ItmakesiteasierfortheIBtokeeptabsonthem.AswellascompromisethepoliticiansandturnthemintopotentialintelligenceassetsfortheRAW.

Therearemanycasesofsuccessfulhoneytraps in thesagaor intelligenceandcounterintelligence,but fewarerevealed.Exposureisusuallyquickandthediplomatissenthomeusuallyonthefirstavailableflight.Inonecase,aPakistanifemaleagentcompromisedanIndiannavalattach&eacutepostedattheIndianmissioninIslamabad.Atthattime,thenavalofficersunclewasaseniorbureaucratattachedtotheofficeofthePresidentofIndia,whichmadehimaprizeassetforthePakistanis.ThePakistanisalsoknewhehadagladeye,especiallyforthewivesoffellowofficers.TheyentrappedhimwithabeautifulfemaleISIagentworkingwiththePakistaniNavytheywouldgoofftothePakistanihillstationofMurreefortrysts.Thenoneday,shecameupwiththestandardblackmaillinethatshewaspregnant.TheISIthenbegantoputtheheatonhim,butthenavalofficerhadthegoodsensetospeaktotheIndianambassadorwhoputhimonthefirstflightoutofIslamabad.Afterdebriefingandenquiry,hewasaskedtoresignhiscommission.ThereisasimilarcasethathappenedinBeijingwhenanIndiandiplomatwashavingtwoaffairssimultaneouslyonewithhismaidandtheotherwithhisChineselinguistwhowerebothChineseagents.Whileforcedtochoose,hetookthelinguistoutfordinnertotellheritwasover.Bymistake,thespeeddialbuttonofa friend, a senior Indian diplomat posted in Beijing,was pressed.He then taped thewhole conversation. The

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disgrace claimed the ageing Don Juan, who had less than a year to retire. A RAW officer posted in Beijingremembers&nbspasimilarcasewhenhisfriendayoungAmericandiplomatpostedasa3rdSecretary intheCyberDivisionwhowashoneytrappedbyagorgeousChinesegirlapproachedhimforadvice.HiscounselwasthattheyoungmanseekhelpfromtheUSmission.TheAmericandidandwasflownhomeimmediately.

OLDBOYNETWORK

The reason why Pakistan has been able to cultivate sources among Delhis elite is, class. All Pakistani HighCommissionerstoIndiahaveacommonsocialprofileOxbridgeeducated,Westernisedandimmenselyrich,theyrelyontheoldboynetworkwithIndianswhotheywenttocollegeandschoolwithwhonowoccupyhighpositions.AnintelligenceofficialinDelhi,whospecialisesinPakistanaffairs,saysthattheISItargetsDelhisPunjabiupperclasswhoarefedthecrossborderPunjabiIndoPakbrotherhood.FormerPrimeMinister

IKGujralnoPakistaniagentwasmeltedenoughbythePunjabibrotherhoodlinetodisbandtheentireRAWnetwork across Pakistan, one that had taken years to build. Intelligence legend says the thenRAW chief wasorderedtogivethenamesoftheassetstoPakistantoearngoodwill,whichwasreturnedintheformofexecutionscarried out byGeneral Ziauddin of the ISI.Pakistani upper class Indian&nbsp assets inDelhi are unknowingconduits of information, according to senior RAW source. It is a subtle operation that is a combination ofconfidencessharedatprivatedinners,Urdupoetrysessionsandmusicaleveningsandinformationpassedoninthe interests of neighbourly peace. Gujrals act was to cause lasting damage to RAW, which in retrospectwouldvebeeninabetterpositiontohandlePaksponsoredIslamistterror.

RAWs operations in Pakistan had been very effective during the Khalistan movement. In the mid1980s, theagencysetuptheCounterIntelligenceTeamX(CITX)andCounterIntelligenceTeamJ(CITJ)twohighlycovertarmstoreactwithviolencewithinPakistanwheneveraPaksponsoredmassacrehappenedinPunjab.TheyweresosuccessfulthattheISIchiefwasforcedtoaskforameetingwithhisRAWcounterparttodrawuptherulesofengagementonPunjabwith the thenJordanianCrownPrinceHassanbinTalalactingas referee.Theprinceswife,PrincessSarvath,isPakistaniandpresumablywascontactedbytheISI.

Atthattimewehadan

advantage,saysMoloyDhar,IBcounterintelligenceexpertwhowasinvolvedintheoperations.Themediagaveussilentcooperation.Itwaswar.Sowediditandfinishedit.

&nbspThosewhoareskittishaboutPakistanisareapproachedbyanotherrouteofotherdiplomats.AccordingtoanIBofficial,Bangladeshisareperfectcandidates.ManywitholdEastPakistanmemoriesarestillsympathetictowardsPakistan,hesays.Moneychangeshands.

Ranade says there is a ring of mosques along the IndoBangladesh border that function as a base for ISIoperations. According to a seniorMI source, theBangladesh spy agencyDGFI (DirectorateGeneral of ForcesIntelligence)activelyhelpsinPakistaniinfiltrationthroughtheeasternbordertheterrormodulethatcoordinatedthe1999KandaharhijackwasfromBangladesh.AccordingtoIndiandiplomaticsources,theformerBangladeshiHighCommissionerwasproPakistanwhilehisdeputyhasstrong

proIndiafeelings.

InthepreHasinadays,theDGFIwashandinglovewithPakistansISI,saysDhar.TheytrainedtheULFA,theNagas,theManipurisagainstIndia.ButonceHasinacametopower,theyweredrivenout.

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HITECHSNOOPING

Its not just the Bangladeshis that the Chinese use for eliciting third party information. The Chinese bribecooperativethirdworlddiplomatstospyoneachother.TheroleofChinesejournalistswithhugeexpenseaccountscultivatingcontactsinthemediaandtheestablishmentinDelhihascomeundertheRAWandIBscanner.Indianswhohavesimilarideologicalsympathieshelpthem:thosewhostudyorteachincertainuniversitiesorbelongtoleftleaningpoliticalparties.ManyofthemareofferedfreetripstoChinawherealltabs,includingshopping,arepickedup.Indianmissionsoverseasdoittoo,saysaretireddiplomat.WeoffertheIndiaexperience.Butthereisadifference.TheChinesefollowupandseekaquidproquointherelevantfields,saysRanade.

TheChinese are also good at cultivating sources in government. A classic case is Huawei Technologies, theBangalorebasedChinesecorporationthatwasblacklistedfromenteringthetelecomsectorafteraCIAtipoffonitsTalibanconnection.GovernmentsourcessayHuaweifloutedallregulations,butwasinbusinessbeforewewereevenawareofit.Thecompanysmodusoperandiwastorecruit&nbspformerGMsandretiredseniorofficersofMTNLandBSNLonhugesalaries,andthususetheirgovernmentconnectionstoitsbenefit.Inonecase,aservingMTNLofficialduetoretireintwoyearswascontactedandofferedajobatahugesalary.Hookhimbeforehe

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retiresisHuaweispolicy,saysanintelligenceanalyst.

TheIBsaysthatwhenitcomestohacking,theChineserule.WhenthePMOcomputerswerehackedintoin2010,thehackerschoseonlythosemachinesbelongingtoofficialsliketheJS(Pak),JS(China)andJS(US).

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HANDOUTESPIONAGE

UnliketheChinese,theCIAhasbeenoperatinginIndiafordecades,evenbeforeithelpedtheIndiangovernmentsetupRAWafterthe1962IndoChinaWar.Honeytrapshavebeenfrequentlyused,buttodaytheCIAsmainlureismoney, jobs and scholarships for the children of powerful bureaucrats and politicians to study abroad. ManyjournalistsandbabusarepartialtotheUnitedStates,saysanintelligenceofficer.EveryoneskidswanttogototheUStostudy.TheAmericanshelpthemwithvisasandfundsdependingonhowusefultheyare.

TheRAWand IBarekeepingawatchona coupleofseniorpersons,onwhomtherearestrongsuspicions.WhenakidwhoseschoolrecordhasbeenindifferentsuddenlygetsintoagoodAmericanschool,lightbulbsgoon.TheCIAissometimesloyaltoitstopIndianagents:RabinderSingh,aformerRAWoperativewhodisappearedaftercomingundersuspicionofbeingaCIAagentwashelpedbytheAmericanstofleethecountry,accordingtoRAWofficials.TheysupposedlyhelpedSinghgenerouslywhenhehadanearfatalcaraccident inSyria.WhenSinghwasexposed,RAWsourcessaytheCIAsuppliedhimafalsepassportandspiritedhimawaythroughNepal.

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INTHEIRDEFENCE

Unlike the Pakistanis and the CIA, the Russians use honeytraps only to get information on defence dealsCommodoreSukhvinderSinghisacaseinpoint.TheRussiansarelyinglow,saysDhar.AmericansnolongerseeIndiaasanenemy.Theneedtousehoneytrapslikebeforehasbecomemuchless.

TheMossad isaggressivewhen it comes togarneringdefence informationaccording toMIsources, therearemany IndoUS deals that happen under the radar. Mossad targets Indian security and defence officials usingfriendlyarmsdealers inDelhi.The incentive isnotwomenbutmoney,boozeand foreign trips.TheMossadsotherfocusisonantiPakoperations.AccordingtoaseniorIBoperative,IndiassmalltownMuslimghettosWehaveto liberate theothernation inHindustan,aslogancoinedby formerPak intelchiefHamidGulare idealhidingplacesforPakistaniagentsactinginconcertwithlocalterrormodules.TheMossadusesitssabbathhousesinIndia tokeeptabsonsuspectedterrorists.YoungIsraelidecommissionedsoldiersvisitingIndiaalsohelp theMossad.EvenduringIndiasSocialistproArabdays,theRAWmaintainedacovertrelationshipwiththeMossad,mainlytogainfromIsraelsWestAsiaandNorthAfricainformationaswellaslearningcounterterrorismtechniques,saysanintelligenceofficer.

WithsomanyforeignagenciesoperatingonIndiansoil,itsnotasiftheIBandRAWarequiet.IndianintelligencehasinfiltratednotjustthejihadisupportgroupsoperatinginKashmirandBengal,butalsohasastrongpresenceinNepal.AnMIoperativeinKashmirspeaksofinfiltratingKashmirimosquestoidentifyhatespeakers.SinceImtallandfairandlooklikeaKashmiri, Iblendedwell inthemosquewearingaphiranandofferingnamaz.ButhadIopenedmymouth,Iwouldvebeendead,exposedasanonKashmiri.Iwouldpretendtobedumb.Somewerenotso lucky.Aretiredspymasterremembershowhesentanoperative intoPakistanwhospent thenight inasaraialong theborder. Somethinghedidgavehimawayandhewaspickedupafterprayer,hesays. Aftermanyyears,weheardhehadbeenthrownintojailandkeptthere.Theworldofintelligencehasitscomicinterludestoo:theturfwarsbetweenvariousarmsareablocktoinformationcooperation,especiallyalongtheborder.SometimestheMI,IBandtheRAWusethesameagentwithoutknowingheworksfortheothers,saysanoldPakistandeskhand.Hecoollycollectsmoneyfromallthreeforthesamebitofinfo.

Moneymakestheintelligenceworldgoaround.ManyIndianNGOsarefundedbyvariousintelligenceagencies,including the ISIandtheCIA.Everyyearan internationalconferenceofNGOstakesplace inGenevaonSouthAsian issues. Itsopenseason. The Indiangovernment funds itsownNGOs tocounterantiIndiapropaganda,saysaretiredRAWoperative.Wealsoidentifywhoworksforwho.

AccordingtoSouthAsiamilitaryintelligenceexpertColonelRHariharan,Intelligenceagenciesusethreemajorhuman weaknesseswine, women, and money powerto make those with access to secrets part withinformation.

Secretsarethesubtextofpower.Andspiesthedeadlycouriers.

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