The ISI Scalpel

There has been considerable excitement in the India media about terrorist leaders/terrorists being killed periodically in Pakistan in recent years by “unknown gunmen”, often motorcycle-borne undertaking killings in broad daylight. This also coincided with the recent visit of Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence of the US to India. While India’s external intelligence agency, R&AW, is being given the credit by some, the fact of the matter is that these terrorist leaders/terrorists have outlived their utility to the Pakistan army and the ISI, who don’t want to keep paying them in perpetuity. Only the dumbest of dumb would believe that “unknown gunmen”, with impunity,  can go on periodic killing sprees in Pakistan without the ISI having an inkling who these killers are.

There is no denying that Pakistan-backed Muhamad Yunus, Chief Advisor to the Interim Government of Bangladesh, is trying to depose Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman. The situation apparently is coming to a head with Lt Gen Joel Vowell, Deputy Commanding General of the US Indo-Pacific Command visiting Dhaka on March 24-25. But to say that India helped Bangladesh avert a coup by Pakistan-aligned Generals is a bit too much. If R&AW was awake and Indian intelligence not under orders to focus on running down the opposition in India, we would have not been surprised by the recent regime change in Bangladesh in the first place. Do we believe that only because of few Pakistan-aligned Bangladeshi Generals, the ISI has a free run in Bangladesh, terrorist leaders of Bangladesh and Pakistan are visiting each other, both exchanging military delegations, Pakistan army is providing military training in four cantonments of the Bangladesh army, and senior Pakistani army and ISI officials visited Rangpur, close to India’s ‘Chicken Neck’ area?  

The US and Canada have been crying hoarse over India killing terrorists abroad, as if this is the forte of only the white race? The fact is that the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada had the signatures of Pakistan’s ISI involvement with international drugs and immigration cartels, as well as in the case of the  Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a CIA weasel, who is a terrorist himself  (https://www.spsmai.com/experts-speak/?id=1494&q=India-Killing-Terrorists-Abroad). Political Scientist and Author Ayesha Ray writes that Indian separatists and their educated Ivy League Gucci supporters in the West excel in diversionary tactics, deflection, lies and zero accountability. Tulsi Gabbard and the Donald Trump administrations need to act against Pannun threatening India, in the interest of Indo-US relations.

Pakistan’s ISI is able to use its scalpel in India’s Union Territory of J&K and the State of Punjab with impunity because of the direct involvement of the police in the narcotics trade and their links with terrorists. It is obvious that the financial booty is also passed on to politicians, because of which nothing much happens to these police officials beyond suspension or prolonged court cases, despite periodic incidents coming to light – which may not be all.  

Take the case of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Davinder Singh, who was posted at Srinagar Airport. He was also in the security detail when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Srinagar. Later, Davinder Singh was arrested on a tip-off travelling in a car with three Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorists. Any action taken against him, if any at all, remains unknown.

In May 2024, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Pantha Chowk Police Station in J&K was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe. In August 2024, six employees of J&K, including five police constables (Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, Khalid Hussain Shah, Rahmat Shah, Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo and Saif Din) were dismissed from service for being part of the narco-terror network sponsored by Pakistan’s ISI. These are only a few samples of what is going on in J&K. Narcotics smuggling by the ISI is not without help from the Indian side in which both the police and politicians are involved. This includes the use of tunnels. In recent years, cases have come to light where “over-priced” goods were deliberately sent across from J&K, enabling the ISI to ship drugs back.

The well-oiled terrorist infiltration and drug smuggling routes in Punjab are a haven for Pakistan’s ISI with police contacts on the Indian side. The Gurdaspur terror attack in 2015 and the terror attack on the Indian Airforce Base, Pathankot in 2016 by Pakistani terrorists had definite involvement of the Punjab Police. The ease with which a vehicle was arranged from the Indian side on a telephone call from Pakistan, indicates the intimate links of the ISI with the Punjab Police. Significantly, the vehicle arranged on the Indian side belonged to the Superintendent of Police (SP) Salwinder Singh of Punjab Police, although he later said that Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists had “captured” his SUV to attack the IAF Base in Pathankot. Fate eventually caught up with Salwinder when in 2019 he was sentenced to 10-years in prison for involvement in the Pathankot terrorist attack and five years for rape and bribery. Whether he is still serving the sentence or out of jail remains ambiguous given the political patronage he enjoyed in what he was doing.

The Pakistani nexus of some Indian politicians, mostly covert, is a reality. Attending the oath taking ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan in August 2018, the then Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu was photographed hugging the Pakistani army chief with the latter whispering something in his ear. Sidhu also unashamedly posed for photographs with Khalistan leaders invited to Imran’s oath taking, including Gopal Sigh Chawla.

For those who think that the involvement of Punjab Police in drug trafficking is on the wane, think away; watch a recent video of drugs being transported in a Punjab Police vehicle (https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19B2jr9wwa/). To Pakistan’s glee this state of affairs will continue because of multiple reasons, including: quantum of narcotics trade and involvement of Indian police and politicians; long-winded judicial processes; the farce of transfers vis-a-vis offences; temporary suspensions (and reinstatement?); dismissal from service outweighing the money made through nefarious means; readily available mafia-linked jobs following dismissals. Little wonder then that Punjab youth are stopping Himachal buses and pasting on them photos of separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

Take a look now at the latest ISI hit in Punjab, the executants being the Punjab Police, who brutalized and severely injured Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath (a serving Army officer) and his son at Patiala on March 13, 2025. The target was carefully chosen because Colonel Bath is on deputation with R&AW. Analysts are pointing out that it is an ISI operation because the attacking Punjab Police personnel only took the identity card and mobile of Colonel Bath, not his wallet, watch and other items. But this would have been on specific instructions of the ISI; to cock a snook at India while our media indulges in fables or R&AW killing terrorists in Pakistan.

The consequences of the officer’s identity card and mobile in the hands of ISI are obvious. The issue, however, is to note that no statement has been issued by the Defence Minister, Home Minister, NSA, R&AW, CDS or the Army Chief. To top this, the Patiala Police has filed an FIR against “unknown persons”, while   Colonel Baath’s wife is running from pillar to post seeking justice for her husband and son.

The worst part is the four attackers of the Punjab Police who are known, are threatening the officer’s family to arrive at an out of court settlement. Can there be anything more shameful for India; albeit it suits the country’s politico-bureaucratic dispensation to run down the Army, while the military hierarchy keeps searching for its spine?

Where do we go from here? A veteran-scholar, close to the inner power circle writes, “Action will be taken, more because the officer is on deputation with R&AW. But these police personnel at best will get a warning, may not get plum posting like SHO for two-three years but nothing more than that. Police and judiciary are more corrupt than politicians, the difference is just of scale. That said, the Army has come down to a state where it has zero say even in matters military – the backbone is missing in the top brass. The brazenness of the police reflects in the fact that the FIR doesn't mention the names of the police personnel involved despite all the noise.”

The latest is that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is to investigate the case. Its investigations may keep these police personnel on their radar, similar to keeping the chief of Arambai Tenggol (the largest armed radical organization in Manipur) on NIA radar for the past several months – and nothing beyond that! The investigation report anyway would be in sync with the mood of the political hierarchy, which doesn’t favour the Army much. Meanwhile, the state of India’s judiciary is grabbing headlines with one High Court judge saying his reputation is devastated because of sacks of cash found burnt in his outhouse. Incidentally, one was invited for a meal by a friend, an advocate of the Supreme Court, when one his client turned up unannounced with two bags full of cash – that was some 15 years back. Another High Court judge has recently ruled that grabbing a teenager’s breasts, breaking her pyjama string and dragging her under a culvert is not attempted rape, but a minor offence to disrobe a person in public. Aren’t we going great guns?

The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.