India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has played a critical but often secretive role in the complex and tense relationship between India and Pakistan. From full-scale wars to proxy battles and diplomatic chess games, RAW has often served as India’s first line of defense and strategic foresight in the Indo-Pak conflict landscape.
While the agency maintains a policy of non-disclosure and anonymity, evidence from declassified documents, retired operatives, and investigative journalism reveals a legacy of covert operations, intelligence gathering, psychological warfare, and counterterrorism.
This article explores the underrated but pivotal role of RAW in India-Pakistan conflicts, from the 1971 war to modern-day hybrid warfare.
1. The Creation of RAW: A Response to 1962 and 1965 Setbacks
RAW was created in 1968 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, following the failures of Indian intelligence during the 1962 war with China and the 1965 war with Pakistan. Before RAW, external intelligence was handled by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which was found lacking in depth and capabilities.
RAW was tasked to:
- Monitor foreign threats
- Conduct covert operations
- Gather strategic intelligence on countries like Pakistan and China
Its creation itself was a strategic move rooted in India’s rivalry with Pakistan.
2. RAW’s Defining Moment: The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War
RAW’s most notable contribution to Indo-Pak conflicts was during the 1971 war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Key operations led by RAW:
- Training and arming Mukti Bahini, the Bengali rebel group fighting Pakistani forces in East Pakistan.
- Infiltrating Pakistani military ranks to gather troop movement and logistics data.
- Establishing safe communication channels between the Indian government and Bengali leadership in exile.
RAW not only provided actionable intelligence but also launched psychological warfare and economic sabotage operations inside East Pakistan to weaken the regime.
According to former RAW officers, this war marked the agency’s golden era, as it helped India gain a strategic and moral victory without prolonged conflict.
3. Monitoring ISI: The Long Chess Game
The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan and RAW have been locked in a cold war of intelligence since the 1970s.
RAW is often credited with:
- Preempting terror plots planned from across the border.
- Identifying ISI-backed networks in Kashmir and across India.
- Disrupting Pakistan’s covert operations through strategic counterintelligence.
Over the decades, this RAW-ISI rivalry has defined the intelligence narrative in South Asia. Both agencies have tried to undermine each other in Afghanistan, Kashmir, and even on international diplomatic platforms.
4. Kargil War 1999: RAW’s Early Warning Ignored?
One of the most debated topics is RAW’s role in the Kargil War of 1999.
Reports suggest that:
- RAW had intercepted unusual Pakistani military movements along the Line of Control (LoC) as early as late 1998.
- Signals intelligence and local informants in Gilgit-Baltistan region pointed toward anomalous military build-up.
However, this intelligence was allegedly ignored or delayed by decision-makers, leading to a strategic surprise when Pakistani soldiers were found occupying Indian territory.
Despite this, RAW played a key role in identifying command structures, intercepting communications, and mapping enemy positions once the war began.
5. Post-Kargil Reforms: Strengthening RAW’s Capabilities
After the Kargil conflict, India initiated major reforms in national security and intelligence coordination.
RAW was:
- Modernized with new technology for signal and satellite intelligence.
- Given greater autonomy in field operations, especially concerning Pakistan and cross-border terrorism.
- Assigned an increased role in counter-radicalization efforts, both in Kashmir and across the Indian subcontinent.
This era marked the professionalization and expansion of RAW’s operations.
6. RAW’s Role in Counterterrorism and Surgical Strikes
RAW has been instrumental in tracking down terror cells and training camps backed by Pakistan’s ISI.
Notable involvements include:
- Providing key intelligence for the 2016 Uri surgical strikes, which targeted terror launch pads across the LoC.
- Coordinating with Indian Army and NSA to map cross-border movement of militants.
- Offering support for the Balakot airstrikes in 2019, where Indian jets struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In each of these cases, RAW’s human intelligence (HUMINT) and signals intercepts were crucial to precision targeting.
7. RAW’s Undercover Network Inside Pakistan
While much remains classified, various accounts suggest that RAW:
- Maintains deep-cover agents in Pakistan’s cities, especially Karachi and Lahore.
- Has infiltrated terror financing networks that fund ISI-sponsored groups.
- Operates via non-state assets and foreign intelligence partnerships to gather real-time intel.
The capture of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav in 2016 by Pakistani authorities was claimed to be a RAW operation, although India denies he was a spy.
Despite setbacks, RAW continues to silently counteract Pakistani influence across multiple domains — from politics to propaganda.
8. Psychological and Cyber Warfare
In recent years, RAW has expanded its focus to include cyber intelligence and disinformation monitoring, particularly:
- Tracking ISI propaganda across social media platforms.
- Exposing fake news networks aimed at inciting unrest in India.
- Engaging in strategic psychological warfare, especially post-Pulwama and Balakot incidents.
These modern tactics have helped India stay ahead in the information war with Pakistan.
9. Diplomacy and RAW’s Shadow Role
RAW also supports Indian diplomacy by:
- Providing intel on Pakistani diplomatic maneuvers, especially in the UN and OIC.
- Tracking Pakistani alliances with China and Afghanistan that may impact India.
- Monitoring Pakistan’s nuclear strategy and missile developments.
Though invisible to the public eye, RAW plays a vital backstage role in shaping India’s foreign policy on Pakistan.
10. Controversies and Challenges
No intelligence agency is without criticism. RAW has faced:
- Allegations of political misuse by various Indian governments.
- Security leaks, including exposure of operatives.
- Operational failures, such as delayed reaction to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Despite this, RAW has continually evolved, learning from missteps and adapting to new threat environments.
Conclusion
The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has emerged as one of India’s most critical instruments of national power in dealing with Pakistan. From full-scale wars like 1971 and Kargil to asymmetric battles in cyberspace and intelligence corridors, RAW has played a silent yet decisive role in protecting Indian interests.
Though often out of the limelight, its operatives and analysts form the backbone of India’s strategic deterrence, working in dangerous and invisible missions across borders.
As India continues to face threats from across the western front, the role of RAW in Indo-Pak conflicts remains not just relevant, but essential.