Whether Jadhav was a deep cover intelligence operative or not is a moot point. A capturing country will likely always make claims about the heinous complicity of a ‘spy’ in fomenting unrest and sabotage, backed by ‘confessions’. Denials by the protesting country – in this case India – about the specious charges levelled on its citizen who has been arrested or kidnapped (depending on which version one accepts) will follow. The key tell is the manner in which Pakistan has chosen to deal with the incident, which has three significant nuances.
First, intelligence gathering is something that all countries and, by extension, their agencies conduct on a regular basis. As exemplified during the Cold War, while the intensity of these operations is highest between warring nations, even allies constantly gather intelligence about each other. ‘Shadow warriors’, as the operatives are sometimes called, are found in various depths of cover depending on the nature of the objective – which could range from a quick confirmatory mission involving a short ‘tour’ to much longer and deeper operations involving years of planning and recruitment of local assets. The latter is usually meant for strategic objectives such as penetrating the enemy’s security establishments, government or even its intelligence agencies. Such strategic operations involve intricate planning down to the minutest details of building a cover for the agents involved (also known as developing a ‘legend’), to be able to stand the scrutiny of seasoned counter-intelligence.
Jadhav’s Indian ‘cover’ wouldn’t even stand the scrutiny of a corporate background check, let alone Pakistani counter-intelligence. Incomplete addresses in travel documents, travelling into Pakistan using an Indian passport (in the name of ‘Hussein Mubarak Patel’) and so on are neither the hallmarks of a spy, nor of a half decent cover or operating protocols. (READ MORE)
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