NEW DELHI – Former R&AW chief AS Dulat is highlighting nothing new when hestates that getting actionable intelligence and using it effectively isoften held hostage by politicians.

The former intelligence chief, who headed R&AW from 1999 to 2000, was rightin pointing out that the release of transcripted conversations to the media(of the then Pakistani army chief General Pervez Musharraf and Lt GenMohammad Aziz Khan, his Chief of the General Staff during the 1999 Kargilwar) impacted Indian intelligence and the initial war effort.

Though the situation has improved under the Modi regime — there wascomplete secrecy surrounding the ‘surgical strikes’ against Pakistan in2016 — politicians, whether they are in the government or Opposition, mustlearn to value intelligence and the work of our intelligence agencies more,as they play an active role in deterrence.

The former R&AW chief points out the ideal scenario would be to turn aPakistani spy into a double agent. However, in the current system, wherekey military objectives are not understood by legislators, and the pressurefrom the media to know everything immediately has ensured that not justbasic intelligence, national security and people’s lives have also been putat risk.

The media coverage during the Mumbai attack was a case in point where theterrorists could clearly watch the commandos’ movements on television.Political reluctance to frame guidelines during a terror or hostage attacksuggests such irresponsible behaviour may be repeated.

Indians have often criticised intelligence agencies like R&AW, claimingthat they do not reach the standards of the CBI or Israel’s Mossad. Thismay be true, but it is also fit to know that intelligence chiefs in othercountries can share things freely without worrying about them being leaked.India must follow suit.