Source says Sarabjit Singh was a RAW agent

Published May 6, 2013
Indian school children pay tributes holding portraits of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who died at Jinnah hospital in Lahore, in Amritsar, India on 02 May 2013. — Photo Reuters
Indian school children pay tributes holding portraits of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who died at Jinnah hospital in Lahore, in Amritsar, India on 02 May 2013. — Photo Reuters

According to a source who spoke to the Hindustan Times, Sarabjit Singh was sent to Pakistan for an operation managed by a senior official at the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s main intelligence agency, who later became the agency's chief as well.

"Sarabjit was an Indian spy in Pakistan,” said an intelligence source. “He managed to accomplish the task given to him but was caught while trying to flee."

A former intelligence official, who handled Singh's case, said the operation conducted by him didn’t involve a specific tactical purpose, but was just one among many such operations that were conducted in Pakistan by Indian intelligence in the early and mid 90s.

"Some of the operations executed by the RAW during the period were totally mindless,” the official said. “Spies like Sarabjit and their family have paid huge cost for it. Sometimes, the agency officials executed operations out of personal bravado that they can get 'something' done in Pakistan.”

Sources said that, the process through which spies like Singh are dealt with is one that is evolving, which includes issues such as how they are paid, as well as instances of if they are caught in enemy territory.

"Payments vary case to case depending on the nature of operation,” the source said. “There is no uniformity in discreet payments to families when such agents are caught or eliminated by the enemy.”

"Sarabjit had been awarded a state funeral because his case was mainly highlighted due to efforts of his politically astute sister Dalbir Kaur, the source said. “His family is also being compensated, but there are many cases in which the spies came back from Pakistan knocked the doors of courts to get their dues."

Opinion

Editorial

Stirring trouble
Updated 08 Dec, 2024

Stirring trouble

The demands put forth this time are simple and doable at little political cost.
Unfairness in cricket
08 Dec, 2024

Unfairness in cricket

HOPES that cricketing ties between Pakistan and India would be strengthened by the latter team’s visit across the...
Syria rebel advance
08 Dec, 2024

Syria rebel advance

CITY after city in Syria is falling into rebel hands as Bashar al-Assad’s government looks increasingly vulnerable...
Threat perception
Updated 07 Dec, 2024

Threat perception

Despite clear proof of the threat posed by malign armed actors, the military and civilian leadership prefers to focus on political opponents.
Humanity at risk
07 Dec, 2024

Humanity at risk

HUMAN trafficking continues to remain an area where the state has utterly failed its citizens. While global...
Banks and larger goals
07 Dec, 2024

Banks and larger goals

THAT banks in Pakistan “prioritise profit over purpose” and promote financial products with limited knowledge of...