LAHORE: Although the 71-year old Indian super sleuth-turned-National Security Adviser (NSA), Ajit Kumar Doval, has boasted for many years that he had lived undercover in Lahore on an espionage mission for seven years, the New Delhi-based "Outlook" magazine had refuted his claim a couple of months ago by referring to a newspaper revelation that he was actually incharge of the security of the Indian missions in Pakistan, research shows.
The 21-year old English language weekly "Outlook" magazine, having a circulation of over half a million, had stated in its January 18, 2016 edition: "While Doval himself makes much of his seven-year-long stint in Pakistan as an "undercover agent," a newspaper report claimed that he was actually in charge of the security of the Indian missions in Pakistan. His job, the report somewhat uncharitably maintained, was to prepare the roster and ensure that security personnel and diplomats did not get into honey traps, besides looking out for bugging devices. In the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government, however, Doval’s views on Pakistan are taken to be the last word by virtue of his long stint."
The famous Indian magazine, which publishes features on politics, sports, cinema and stories of broad interests, had gone on to write: "After the January 2016 attack ended, when the Narendra Modi government finally announced that 500 security personnel, including 150 NSG commandos, had ‘neutralised’ the six terrorists confined inside the heavily guarded air base, there was muted self-congratulation on display. Comparisons were made with the manner in which 26/11 had been handled by the previous Congress-led government.
But there were sections within the BJP and outside pointing fingers at Doval’s lone-ranger approach. One critic termed the NSA’s doctrine itself as a threat to national security; another said the PM seemed to be caught between "Doval and the deep sea."
The Indian publication had further maintained:"There is no question there have been some major successes under Doval’s watch: the release of Father Alexis Prem Kumar from ISIS custody; the pardon for six fishermen the day before they were to be hanged in Sri Lanka; the demolition of permanent Chinese structures in the Depsang and Demchok areas. But there have been some big failures as well: the continuing impasse with Nepal, the failed talks with Pakistan. The Pathankot attack, coming as it did a week after Modi’s much ballyhooed stopover for Nawaz Sharif’s birthday, has been the last straw for critics."
And despite Ajit Doval's tall claims that he had personally trained agents in the dangerous art of exhaustive reconnaissance of insurgent hideouts in troubled Kashmir, at great risk to life and liberty, he was vehemently criticised by the likes of Rahul Gandhi after the January 2, 2016 attack on the Pathankot Air Force Base.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, the grandson of former Indian Premier Indira Gandhi and son of Rajiv Gandhi, had asserted that Pathankot attack was mishandled, viewing that the National Security Adviser's job was to formulate strategy and not tactics.
Numerous mainstream India media outlets had quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying: "The best experts on dealing with terrorism, foreign policy are not being consulted. NSA is dealing (with the attack) directly. His job is strategy, not tactics which is the job of NSG (National Security Guard). When you let people who don't know what to do, do it, you get into a problem. The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) had completely marginalised Pakistan during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks but the present government has handled the attack in an ad hoc way."
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (a breakaway faction of the Indian National Congress), had called National Security Adviser Ajit Doval a known sympathiser of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the right-wing extremist Hindu party known for its involvement in communal riots since 1925 and for its key role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992.
In its November 23, 2014 edition, a top Indian newspaper "The Indian Express" had quoted the Trinamool Congress national spokesman Senator Derek O’ Brien as saying: "The NSA is a known RSS sympathiser. These devious plans are all conceived, drafted and approved at the RSS Headquarters."
Ajit Kumar Doval, who also claims he was inside the Golden Temple before the June 1984 anti-Sikh Operation Bluestar and that he was involved in the termination of all the 15 hijackings of Indian Airlines aircraft from 1971 to 1999, had once responded to the November 2008 Mumbai attacks by saying "You do one more Mumbai, you may lose Balochistan."
He had given these remarks a couple of years ago while delivering a lecture at Tamil Nadu's Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy (SASTRA University).
Just a day after the January 2, 2016 Pathankot attack, another premier Indian media house "Zee News" had also gone on to air some interesting tweets slamming Ajit Doval.
Following were some of the tweets carried by the "Zee News" in its January 3, 2016 report:
"Doval can run the alleys of Bombay to catch Rajans and chota and mota dons. Jaish is another game."
"Teacher: which tense is this, "Modiji will give befitting reply to Pakistan."
Student replied: Future Impossible tense."
"Doval is an over-rated cop. We Indians are hurt by his carelessness, can't tolerate him more, even at the cost of being intolerant."
"Doval has proved to be the most incompetent NSA. It has failed even after confirmed intelligence. Some terrorists are still alive."
"How many brave soldiers will have to lay down their lives before the NSA and the government are held accountable?"
