RAW's Big Success in Trapping Musharraf phone In Kargil War

New Delhi : RAW caught General Pervez Musharraf talking over the phone with his Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Mohammad Aziz. Musharraf was visiting China; Aziz was in Rawalpindi.'

Trump could dump Pakistan tomorrow. Munir is at the forefront of Pakistan's foreign policy initiatives.' 'Tomorrow, Trump may find no more utility for these types of responses from Pakistan.'

"The conversation revealed the complicity of Pakistan's top leadership in the Kargil operation. A decision was taken by the prime minister and external affairs ministers to share this conversation with the world.

"It was an absolutely thrilling experience when we were able to access that conversation and report it for the government."

Rana Banerji, former head of the Pakistan desk at R&AW, gives a rare glimpse of working in the frontlines and the backrooms of India's external intelligence agency.

Check it out! The officers you admired who left a lasting impressions on working at R&AW, to name them were quite a number. Two, I remember greatly -- the late Mr B Raman who specialised in Pakistan intelligence work for a very long time, and another famous officer, late Mr B B Nandy. He was a specialist on Bangladesh matters and he had tremendous knowledge of the eastern front.

Both were real stalwarts in our organisation. I had the privilege of working under them for fairly long periods of time and even outside interaction.

When we go through some important incidents in the Indian context -- like the nuclear tests, Kargil, 26/11 -- what were those moments for India inside R&AW those moments were absolutely tremendous.

Kargil, for instance, we were the first to get hold of the phone conversation between General Pervez Musharraf and his Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed Aziz, when the former was visiting China.

We caught them talking about what had happened in Kargil.

Then a conscious decision was taken by the prime minister and external affairs ministers to share this conversation with the world to show the complicity of Pakistan's top level of leadership in the Kargil operation.

It showed that the infiltrators were Pakistan army regulars in the garb of so-called non-regulars.

We were able to get this admission between the top military leader of Pakistan and his staff officer.

It was an absolutely thrilling experience when one was able to access that and report it for the government.

They have been clever at this type of flattery with a person like President Trump who loves this type of support.

But this can have limitations. There are risks in this process.

If they succeed, it will be worthwhile, but if they fail, they will have as much to lose.

Eventually, you never know with a person as temperamental and transactional as President Trump. Tomorrow, he may find no more utility for these types of responses from Pakistan. It's a possibility. At the moment, it doesn't appear to be so.

Trump could dump Pakistan tomorrow. But you look at the overall picture, the relationship again between Iran and Pakistan has been through suspicions and doubts in the past.

They have even attacked each other even by missiles in the recent past. But overall, they cannot wish geography away.

They are two Islamic countries. One is majority Shia, the other is majority Sunni. But they have fraternal respect for each other, and they manage to have a good relationship. Land routes have been opened up by Pakistan in a rather clever gesture even when there is a US blockade of the Hormuz Strait.

Iran would be grateful for this type of flexibility in Pakistan's approach.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman receives Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh, September 17, 2025

Pakistan's foreign office has always been very nimble-footed in taking advantages of the global situation.

This time, it is the field marshal who himself is at the forefront of these foreign policy initiatives taken by Pakistan.

After the 27th constitutional amendment, as observers in India have also written, the Pakistan foreign office is only executing the initiatives and decisions of the military.

The Pakistan army has always been important in areas of security interest, particularly with India, the nuclear policy, and also Pakistan's relationship with America. But now, it is quite open.

The army decides and the foreign office only carries out its bidding. There is a change in the civil-military balance; and the military's dominance or superiority has come out in the open. No bones are made about it.

This has helped Pakistan move from what was deemed to be almost near isolation to an increasing global relevance as a middle regional power that has a say in what is happening in the contemporary world events in the Middle East, definitely.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir meet US President Donald Trump at the White House