Saturday, December 22, 2007

Mysterious visit of RAW chief and its impact

5@TGW
Ashok Chaturvedi, the chief of the RAW (Research and Analysis Wing)- India’s notorious intelligence agency recently had a secret chit chat with Nepal’s prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Home Minister K.P. Sitaula and NC leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala, right in Kathmandu.
Chaturvedi, according to reports, had met the prime minister and some high ranking leaders of Nepali politics and chiefs of various security agencies during his four day stint in Nepal.
According to the Janadisha Weekly, Chaturvedi had sneaked into Kathmandu by Jet Airways, 14, December, 07 at 3:45 PM.
India’s outgoing ambassador to Nepal, Mr. Shiva Shankar Mukherjee too had arrived Kathmandu the same day but boarding a different air craft, says Nepali Patra Weekly dated 21, December, 07.
Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal- the UML chief and Surya Bahadur Thapa-the RJP (Rastriya Janashakti Party) president too had a chance to meet with the RAW chief, say reports further.
During his meetings with various leaders in Nepal, Chaturvedi had told them to remain aware of the increasing Chinese influence in Nepali politics, adds Nepali Patra.
Chaturvedia had stayed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kathmandu.
In the mean time, reports say that with the grand disclosure made by the “Nepal Weekly”- Kantipur sister publication that RAW was all pervasive in the Nepali Politics and with the weekly further disclosing even the names of various RAW agents working at the Indian embassy in Nepal, the RAW is to reshuffle its staffs stationed in Kathmandu soon, following a grand debacle to the entire RAW paraphernalia in New Delhi.
Indian media reports have it that the RAW in the recent months committed two Himalayan blunders. The first being its failure to asses in advance that President Parvez Musharraf of Pakistan was plotting an emergency and the disclosure by a Nepali Weekly about the RAW network in Nepal came too as a setback to the RAW's intelligence capabilities.
The peoples’ Review weekly in its edition dated 20, December, 07 has to say this:
The South Block has decided to introduce a new setup in key positions in the Indian embassy in Kathmandu. Rakesh Sood is succeeding Ambassador Shiva Shanker Mukharjee.
Likewise, Nepal chief of RAW, Minister Counselor Suresh Dhundiya is going to retire due to his wrong strategies in Nepal. Alok Joshi is succeeding Dhundiya.
In the recent past, the Military attaché at the Embassy, Colonel Saukin Chauhan was succeeded by Colonel Manmohan Singh Dhanbo.
According to the very source, ambassador designate to Nepal, Sood, a career diplomat, is a disarmament expert and has already served in Afghanistan. Also, the new RAW chief to be stationed in Kathmandu has also served in Afghanistan in the past. South Block intends to make key changes in Nepal as it has analyzed that the old team has failed in tackling the Nepal issue properly.
There had been a long list of individuals anxious to bag the ambassadorial assignment through political appointment and South Block had been facing big pressure from different political parties in India for this plum appointment in Kathmandu.
But considering the critical situation here, Sood was nominated, the source said.
Telegraph adds: With RAW facing continuous debacle in its Nepal affairs, it is highly likely that the RAW machinery will come in a heavy way in order to regain its lost ground in Nepal. Chaturvedi is being told to pack up by the New Delhi set-up, it is talked.

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