NEW DELHI – Former Indian spymaster AS Dulat has said that India andPakistan should resume talks to resolve matters including the Kashmirdispute.
He expressed these views at a literature festival in Jaipur on Sunday. Theformer Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief said there was no need toscrap Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave special status toJammu and Kashmir, saying there was nothing left in it and it was only a“fig leaf”.
Dulat was also of the view that “militancy” will continue to come down, but“terrorism will stay unless we sort it out with Pakistan” and batted fordialogue with Islamabad.
He was in conversation with senior journalist Mandira Nayar about hislatest book A Life in the Shadows: A Memoir, published by HarperCollinsIndia.
“Pakistan has been an inherent part of Kashmir. Since 1947, what thegovernment of India has been trying to do is to mainstream Kashmir and getPakistan out of the Kashmiri minds. And I think we’ve succeeded to a verylarge extent.
“I had argued that we didn’t have to do away with Article 370 because therewas nothing left in it. It was only a fig leaf which had provided aKashmiri a little bit of dignity.”
The Modi government abrogated Article 370 on Aug 5, 2019. It was, however,unfortunate that Delhi had always viewed the region in “black and white”and ignored its “greys”.
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Mr Dulat, who is the only RAW chief to have visited Pakistan, said he hadbeen to Pakistan four times, between 2010 and 2012.
“I have been to Lahore twice and also visited Islamabad and Karachi. It wasa great experience,” he added.
He said he got to know Pakistan better through Track 2 or backchanneldiplomacy. In his latest book, he also talks about Ajit Doval, the currentNational Security Adviser of India.
At one point, there was a conversation about bringing Mr Doval across toPakistan, a chance, Mr Dulat said, the neighbours lost.
Dulat, who retired from service in 2000, said efforts were also made tostart a military-to-military dialogue.