Spymaster Dulat Ignites Kashmir Firestorm with Blunt Revelations

A.S. Dulat: The Spymaster’s Unfiltered Voice Sparks Kashmir’s Firestorm

By Amit Kumar

New Delhi, April 18, 2025: Amarjit Singh Dulat, India’s former spymaster and ex-chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), is no stranger to controversy. At 84, the famous spy once again ignited a political maelstrom in Kashmir with his latest book, The Chief Minister and the Spy.

The book is a candid exploration of his decades-long relationship with National Conference leader and former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah. The book drew an instant ire in the valley for alleged claim that Abdullah privately supported the 2019 abrogation of Article 370.

Abdullah told media later that claims made in the book are bogus. Dulat also told several media persons that claim related to Abdullah had been “mischievously misrepresented”.

A Spymaster’s Journey: From Shadows to Spotlight

Born in 1940 in Sialkot, Punjab, Dulat’s life was shaped by India’s Partition. His family relocated to Delhi. Educated at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and Panjab University, Chandigarh, he joined the Indian Police Service in 1965 and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in 1969.

His tenure in Kashmir during the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, as Joint Director of the IB’s Kashmir Group, cemented his reputation as a master negotiator. Dulat’s ability to build bridges with militants, separatists, and mainstream leaders like Farooq Abdullah earned him the moniker “Bubbles” among confidants, reflecting his affable charm.

He rose to head RAW from 1999 to 2000 and later served as an advisor on Kashmir in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s office until 2004.

Post-retirement, Dulat defied the reticence typical of intelligence officers by authoring books that peel back the curtain on Kashmir’s complex politics. His works, blending memoir and exposé, made him a polarizing figure — celebrated for his insights yet criticized for revealing sensitive details.

The Chief Minister and the Spy is his fifth book, following Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years (2015), The Spy Chronicles (2018), Covert: The Psychology of War and Peace (2024, co-authored with Asad Durrani), and A Life in the Shadows (2022). Each has stirred debate, but none as fiercely as his latest.

The Chief Minister and the Spy: A Controversial Chronicle

The Chief Minister and the Spy traces Dulat’s “unlikely, even dangerous” friendship with Farooq Abdullah, a towering figure in Kashmiri politics. Described as a “collection of secrets, encounters, and untold stories,” the book paints Abdullah as a pragmatic nationalist who, despite public opposition, privately expressed willingness to work with Delhi on contentious issues like Article 370.

A Hindustan Times report claimed Dulat wrote that Abdullah told him in 2020, “We would have helped [pass the proposal]. Why were we not taken into confidence?”—suggesting private acquiescence to the 2019 abrogation.

The claim triggered a political uproar. Farooq Abdullah, 87, dismissed it as a “cheap stunt” to boost book sales, stating, “A Chief Minister consults nobody except for his Cabinet.”

His daughter, Safia Abdullah Khan, posted on X, “I have never trusted Dulat as far as I could throw him. He was always a spy whose loyalty was only to himself.”

The controversy led to high-profile withdrawals from the book’s launch. Former Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur, slated to preside, opted out, citing the “political storm” and his “long and cordial association” with the Abdullahs. Farooq also skipped the event.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, incensed, remarked, “With friends like this, who needs enemies?” and questioned Dulat’s credibility, referencing past exaggerations in his books.

Past Books and Controversies

Dulat’s literary career has been a lightning rod for controversy, with each book unveiling sensitive details about Kashmir’s backchannel diplomacy.

The Kashmiriyat in a report said that Dulat’s first book, Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years (2015), set the tone with revelations about separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s alleged closeness to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and the Indian government’s funding of Geelani’s expenses, sparking outrage among nationalists and separatists.

Dulat also claimed Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin sought a medical seat for his son via Farooq Abdullah, a claim the group called a “Himalayan lie”.

The Hindu BusinessLine noted that the book “put a seal on backroom theories on sell outs and buy outs,” but critics argued it compromised trust in Kashmir’s conflict zone.

The Spy Chronicles (2018), co-authored with former ISI chief Asad Durrani and journalist Aditya Sinha, was a bold dialogue between rival spy chiefs, said The Quint in a book review. Covering Kashmir, terrorism, and the Osama bin Laden raid, it advocated for India-Pakistan peace but stirred trouble in Pakistan, where Durrani faced a travel ban and inquiry for violating military conduct.

Dulat expressed disappointment, telling The Quint, “There are no state secrets in it. It’s a book written in right earnest, in the most transparent manner.”

A Life in the Shadows (2022) offered a personal memoir, detailing Dulat’s Partition-scarred childhood, love for literature, and Kashmir experiences. It reiterated his belief that a “muscular policy” in Kashmir fails without dialogue, but its chapter on National Security Advisor Ajit Doval disappointed readers for lacking depth.

Frontline noted Dulat’s insights on intelligence craft but questioned the utility of spy memoirs. The book’s launch, attended by Farooq Abdullah and Kamal Nath, courted controversy when Dulat joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra, irking the BJP for publishing without clearance.

Covert: The Psychology of War and Peace (2024), another collaboration with Durrani, explored the psychological dimensions of conflict but received less attention than its predecessors. Dulat has built a reputation as a provocateur who thrives on revealing the “dirt behind diplomacy”.

Dulat’s Legacy: Provocateur or Peacemaker?

Dulat’s books and interviews reflect a spymaster who values dialogue over confrontation, a stance rooted in his Kashmir tenure. His social skills, described by Jane’s Intelligence Digest as preferring “dialogue to clandestine manoeuvres”, built a vast network of contacts, from militants to politicians.

Yet, his penchant for candour has made him a lightning rod. Critics, like Safia Abdullah Khan, accuse him of betraying confidences for personal gain, while supporters see him as a rare voice advocating for engagement in Kashmir.

A.S. Dulat’s journey from the shadows of espionage to the spotlight of literary controversy is a testament to his complex legacy. The Chief Minister and the Spy has once again positioned him at the heart of Kashmir’s political discourse, with his quotes in recent interviews revealing both defiance and a longing for reconciliation.

While his past books have drawn fire for exposing sensitive dealings, they also offer insights into Kashmir’s turbulent history.

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