Research And Analysis Wing Of India Takes on MSS of China In the Indian Ocean Region
The new R&AW Chief Samant Goel, is an expert on Sino-Pak affairs with more than 18 years of experience in RAW. He will now play an important role in ensuring the security in the Arabian sea region too. He had gathered the various key inputs which had helped IAF plan a flawless strike operation at Balakot.
Samant, a meritorious officer, was a very close aide of Doval when he had headed the agency. So Samant can take the agency to a new height of professionalism. So now after sanitization of the land borders, India needs checking the growing influence of China in the Indian Ocean. Towards this end RA&W has to become capable of achieving this new objective.
To rejuvenate the cadre and enhance human intelligence, RA&W has got rid over several officers who were not performing up to the mark. The officers whose identity was compromised or against whom there were complaints relating to integrity, were also shown the door. The agency has also procured state-of-the-art gadgets and is well-equipped to intercept conversations of satellite phones.
To check growing China-Pakistan nexus in the Indian Ocean, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is bolstering up its maritime intelligence network, laying more emphasis on the Arabian Sea region. During the tenure of the then President of Maldives, Abdullah Yameen, capital city Male had become overseas hub of Pakistan’s spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
However the Indian agency successfully thwarted ISI designs in the strategic island of Maldives. The ISI, backed by Ministry of State Security, MSS (Chinese spy agency) and involving a few close aides of former Maldives President Abdullah Yameen, was encouraging anti-India activities being operated from Pakistan’s embassy located in Male. Yameen was allegedly close to a senior Pakistan diplomat and was later trapped by the Chinese agency.
Thus during the tenure of Abdullah Yameen, President of Maldives (2013-2018), the Chinese gained military, economic and political influence in the strategic island. This was against the Indian security interests. Chinese invested more than 2 billion dollars in large-scale infrastructure projects, but the money pumped in by Beijing was more in the form of a loan. Yameen entertained several Chinese companies and even leased small islands to them.
Now the situation changed totally with Ibrahim Mohammed Solih taking over as Maldives’ new President. “Finally Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Maldives (June 8 and 9) was a morale booster for India’s security and intelligence agencies.
Former President Yameen had allegedly facilitated ISI to increase its presence in the island country. During Yameen’s tenure, Pakistan Embassy at Lily Magu area in Male had become an overseas hub of ISI, engaged in hatching conspiracies against India. In fact Pakistan’s Ambassador played a key role in bringing Beijing closer to Yameen.
Turning the tide against Yameen, pro-India leader Ibrahim Mohammed Solih took an anti-China stance in last year’s election and succeeded in his mission. Sources said once Solih took over the reins in Male, ISI’s growing influence in the Maldives was gradually neutralised. Besides Maldives, R&AW is also stepping up its vigil of Chinese vessels around Seychelles and Mauritius.
