By Minahil K.
In India, Ajit Doval inspires the envy of many—he is dubbed as the one man army, rightist Modi’s right hand man, the man-in-charge of India’s external and internal security. His omnipresence within post-Modi India’s intelligence and policy circles is noticeable. It is rumored that Modi had already made up his mind to appoint Doval, a former intelligence chief instead of a diplomat as the NSA even before election results came out—an issue that sparked a debate when the BJP came into power. Beyond his extremely successful career in police and intelligence, Doval’s role as the founding member of the Vivekananda International Foundation (an RSS affiliated organization) in addition to his anti-Pakistan stance is likely to have made him a more eligible candidate for the position in Modi’s eyes.
Post-retirement, Doval has been quite active as a commentator on national and international strategic issues writing and talking extensively about India’s national security and foreign policy rising to prominence in the last few years in particular at the global level as well. After having been given a post where he has the required resources at his disposal, he is in a position to exert an enormous amount of influence vis-à-vis the country’s internal security and foreign policy objectives. His reputation as an ‘RSS sympathizer’ has been common knowledge for a while and the Trinamool Congress has brought it up again (although for political reasons); the link between the highest security official in the country and a hardline Hindu nationalist organization is causing greater alarm at a time when India’s secular ethos is already weakening.
The former VIF director is still having a hard time establishing the fact that his previous designation will not have an impact on his role as NSA. His opinion that Pakistan harbors what he calls ‘compulsive hostility’ against neighboring India is likely to amplify the paranoia that stands in the way of forming cordial ties between the two countries. It is expected that Ajit Doval will grow into the job much like Narendra Modi is expected to grow into his: more than expectation, it is hope that has led many to believe that an intelligence man will be a successful diplomat. Previously having blamed Pakistan for allegedly using covert action as ‘an instrument of state policy’ in one of his writings, he is currently the primary advisor to the Prime Minister of India on issues of national and international security—it is needless to point out the obvious influence his views will have on India’s attitude towards Pakistan. It can, however, be said with complete confidence that if Doval’s writings from his post-retirement days are a true a depiction of his perception of Pakistan, then indeed we are looking towards a deepening mistrust between the two countries.
One of his deeply held beliefs is that Pakistan is using 4th generation warfare to take advantage of India’s internal security vulnerabilities because it lacks the financial and military muscle to indulge in conventional warfare which India has tolerated for a long time and it is time now to respond to Pakistan. In wake of the current unrest in Balochistan and Pakistan’s fight against the Taliban, that the policy-making process is most unlikely to be free from biases is dangerous for the entire region. Inevitably, terror and chaos will spill-over if mutual goals aren’t realized in time. This is the time for cooperation with a view to creating a secure environment where growth and development (ranking high on Modi’s agenda) should be a shared phenomena.
Fortunately, there seems to be realization on part of the Modi administration and the Indian public that the time has come for combined efforts to curb the menace of terrorism and extend support especially after the Peshawar attack which has caused a lot of grief on both sides of the border. This has given both sides a chance to rethink their long term security objectives and policies and come together to help each other in resolving a security crisis. This is India’s chance as well to prove that this resolve to support Pakistan in such hard times is more than just lip service and that the latter can take its attention away from its eastern border and instead focus all its energies on its military operation against the Taliban.
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