LONDON: Amarjit Singh Dulat, the former head of India’s primary intelligence agency — the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — has said that Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s luncheon meeting with US President Donald Trump is of huge significance and Pakistan deserves congratulations over this.
The former RAW chief was speaking to Geo News in an exclusive interview at the King’s College where he discussed his recently published book The Chief Minister and the Spy.
Dulat said: “I congratulate Field Marshal Asim Munir. Congratulations to the people of Pakistan. He should now come and meet Modi Ji in Hyderabad House and then may visit Amritsar. I believe that hardlines can be softened. In 2015, Modi visited Pakistan to attend the wedding of Nawaz Sharif’s granddaughter. Things can and should improve. Someone needs to bowl first. Imran Khan is in jail. The Field Marshal [Munir] or Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif can do that.”
The former chief Indian spy agreed that relations are frozen between India and Pakistan, especially after the recent conflict but he was hopeful of a change. “Look at the field marshal’s lunch in the US. Whoever arranged it, sent him to Delhi too. If it can happen in Washington, why not in Delhi.”
He said that the field marshal’s luncheon at the Cabinet Room and the Oval visit, lasting over two hours, was a major development in the US-Pakistan relations. He said: “This has happened for the first time. It’s good and huge for Pakistan. I congratulate Pakistan but don’t stop there, come to India too.”
Dulat said that India has good relations with the US and generally relations go up and down. He remarked: “Pakistan has always progressed in these relations, that’s why the field marshal is there.”
The former RAW chief advised both countries to talk directly to each other. He said there should be no war between India and Pakistan. “It’s good that the recent conflict lasted for only four days.”
The ex-chief spy accepted that there is no direct evidence linking Pakistan with the Pahalgam attack that led to the conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations. He said: “Sometimes there is no evidence. If they (the militants) were caught we would have evidence but they fled and disappeared, it’s their job. There is no doubt in India that Pakistan had a hand in it. There was an intelligence failure but that happens everywhere.”
Dulat said that attacking Pakistan was PM Modi’s “majboori” (necessity) and there is politics involved too but that “there should be no war, it’s dangerous”.
The former Indian intelligence chief praised Pakistan’s hospitality. “I am the only intelligence chief who visited Pakistan four times after retirement. Between 2010-2012 I visited four times. Pakistani hospitality cannot be matched. We cannot match it. I enjoyed it a lot.”
Dulat spoke fondly about his friendship with former ISI chief General Asad Durrani and described him as a great friend.
Field Marshal Munir, during the meeting, lauded Trump for his “constructive and result-oriented role” in facilitating a ceasefire with India following last month’s armed conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The development came as the two leaders met over lunch at the White House Cabinet Room with the US president being accompanied by Secretary of State Senator Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs Steve Witkoff whereas Field Marshal Munir was joined by Islamabad’s national security adviser and interior minister.
Meanwhile, the US president lauded Field Marshal Munir’s leadership and decisiveness during a period of complex regional dynamics further praised Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace and stability, and appreciated the robust counter-terrorism cooperation between the two states.
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