According to AS Dulat, a former Indian spymaster, Pakistan and India should resume talks to resolve issues like the Kashmir dispute.
He said these things at a Jaipur literature festival. The former head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) stated that the Indian Constitution’s Article 370, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status, was merely a “fig leaf” and that there was no need to eliminate it. Dulat advocated for dialogue with Islamabad and was of the opinion that “militancy” will continue to decline, but “terrorism will stay unless we sort it out with Pakistan.” He was discussing his most recent book, A Life in the Shadows, with senior journalist Mandira Nayar: A Memoir, which HarperCollins India published.
Kashmir has always been a part of Pakistan. India’s government has been attempting to mainstream Kashmir and remove Pakistan from the minds of Kashmiris since 1947. Additionally, I believe we have largely succeeded. I had argued that there was nothing left in Article 370, so we didn’t have to get rid of it. A Kashmiri had been accorded some dignity, but it was just a fig leaf. On August 5, 2019, the Modi government revoked Article 370. However, it was unfortunate that Delhi had always ignored the region’s “greys” and viewed it in “black and white.”
The sole RAW leader to have visited Pakistan, Mr. Dulat claimed he had visited the country four times between 2010 and 2012. I’ve been to Lahore twice, Islamabad, and Karachi, as well. He added, “It was a wonderful experience.” He claimed that backchannel diplomacy—also known as Track 2—helped him better understand Pakistan. He also discusses India’s current National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, in his most recent book. Mr. Dulat stated that the neighbors had lost the chance to bring Mr. Doval across to Pakistan at one point. Dulat, who left the military in 2000, said that efforts were also made to start a dialogue between the military and the public.
