Politicisation of India’s intelligence community has impacted R&AW’s accountability.
There is a need for transparency.
What is R&AW?
The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is the primary foreign intelligence agency of India.
It is a specialised, independent agency dedicated to foreign intelligence gathering.
The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, engaging in counter-terrorism, promoting counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, and advancing India's foreign strategic interests.
It is also involved in the security of India's nuclear programme.
It moderates mass anxieties about India’s troubles such as terrorism from Pakistan and the constraints posed by stubborn China.
What are the successful operations of R&AW?
The R&AW is considered highly capable in undertaking covert operations abroad allegedly including,
The promotion of unrest in Pakistan.
Military training to Tibetan exiles.
Initial support of and subsequent war with Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka.
Delivery of victory in the Bangladesh War of 1971.
Building a formidable presence in Afghanistan.
It develops advanced technological intelligence capabilities.
What are the issues with the agency?
Unlike other democracies, India has been shy to declassify intelligence files, or even authorise an official history of the R&AW.
It is lacking parliamentary oversight and reporting directly to the Prime Minister’s Office.
There is no systematic way to assess how R&AW ensures accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness.
The intake is mostly from other departments, it raise issues of bureaucratic politics and inconsistency in training standards.
How politicisation affects R&AW?
Only few leaders had understood the value of offensive covert capabilities and utilise them effectively.
Due to this offensive operations are only a small element of the role of intelligence agencies in foreign policy.
It is reducing R&AW’s effectiveness, instead of a professional intelligence arm meant to assess and shape India’s strategic environment.
The pinnacle of the political leadership in many instances has misused R&AW, this creates public mistrust over the agency.
If ambitious prime ministers could misuse R&AW in the past, there is no guarantee it may not happen again.
How the issues can be addressed?
Parliamentary accountability of India’s agencies is the only way towards attracting top quality recruits.
Many activists want classified files to become the subject of public scrutiny.
Declassifying historical documents for public consumption and accepting parliamentary oversight is critical to ensure that the functioning of the agency is optimised.
This will prevent the agency from becoming a tool of abuse by the political leadership.
