What do you think?
Rate this book
The Chief Minister and the Spy: An Unlikely Friendship
When the powers that be in Delhi think of Farooq Abdullah, they think of former R&AW chief A.S. Dulat, too. The Abdullah–Dulat connection – unlikely, even dangerous – has shaped Kashmir’s history in ways that few understand. One was India’s top intelligence officer, the other its most defiant Kashmiri leader. They should have been enemies. Instead, they built a quiet, complicated alliance that has outlasted governments, betrayals and shadow wars.
From the explosion of militancy in the 1990s to the hijacking of Air India’s IC-814 in 1999 and the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, their story is inseparable from Kashmir’s most turbulent moments. In this book, for the first time, Dulat turns to the man behind the legend. What is Farooq like when the cameras are off? How did 370 alter his place in Kashmir’s future? What divides him from his son and heir, Omar? And as Kashmir remains contentious, what cards does he still have to play?
The Chief Minister and the Spy is a collection of secrets, encounters and untold stories – some whispered, some explosive. With wit, candour and an insider’s eye, Dulat reveals ‘Doctor Sahib’ (as Farooq is popularly known) as only he can. Compelling and deeply human, this book offers a rare glimpse into an unlikely relationship forged in the heat of one of India’s most complex conflicts.
From the explosion of militancy in the 1990s to the hijacking of Air India’s IC-814 in 1999 and the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, their story is inseparable from Kashmir’s most turbulent moments. In this book, for the first time, Dulat turns to the man behind the legend. What is Farooq like when the cameras are off? How did 370 alter his place in Kashmir’s future? What divides him from his son and heir, Omar? And as Kashmir remains contentious, what cards does he still have to play?
The Chief Minister and the Spy is a collection of secrets, encounters and untold stories – some whispered, some explosive. With wit, candour and an insider’s eye, Dulat reveals ‘Doctor Sahib’ (as Farooq is popularly known) as only he can. Compelling and deeply human, this book offers a rare glimpse into an unlikely relationship forged in the heat of one of India’s most complex conflicts.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2025
3 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
A.S. Dulat
9 books26 followersAMARJIT SINGH DULAT served as the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s spy agency, under Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee. He later joined Vajpayee’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), where his job was to ‘monitor, manage and direct’ the government of India’s peace initiative in Kashmir.
Dulat was born in Sialkot, Punjab, in December 1940. With India’s Partition, his father Justice Shamsher Singh Dulat, ICS, was posted to Delhi. Dulat was educated in Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and Punjab University, Chandigarh, after which he joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1965, and then the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in 1969, where he served for almost thirty years. At IB he headed the Kashmir Group during the turbulent 1990s till he joined and headed R&AW.
Since leaving the government in 2004, Dulat has been active on the track two circuit, and has visited Pakistan. He has co-authored a paper with former Pakistani intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani on the benefits of intelligence cooperation between India and Pakistan.
During service, Dulat accumulated a vast reservoir of goodwill with Kashmiris of all shades. As Jane’s Intelligence Digest put it in 2001: ‘Well known for his social skills, Dulat prefers dialogue to clandestine manoeuvres. He has built up an impressive network of personal contacts in Kashmir including militants.’ A decade after retirement, that goodwill remains intact, with Kashmiris dropping in on him and his wife Paran at their Friends Colony house in Delhi, to share gossip, information, and advice.
Dulat was born in Sialkot, Punjab, in December 1940. With India’s Partition, his father Justice Shamsher Singh Dulat, ICS, was posted to Delhi. Dulat was educated in Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and Punjab University, Chandigarh, after which he joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1965, and then the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in 1969, where he served for almost thirty years. At IB he headed the Kashmir Group during the turbulent 1990s till he joined and headed R&AW.
Since leaving the government in 2004, Dulat has been active on the track two circuit, and has visited Pakistan. He has co-authored a paper with former Pakistani intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani on the benefits of intelligence cooperation between India and Pakistan.
During service, Dulat accumulated a vast reservoir of goodwill with Kashmiris of all shades. As Jane’s Intelligence Digest put it in 2001: ‘Well known for his social skills, Dulat prefers dialogue to clandestine manoeuvres. He has built up an impressive network of personal contacts in Kashmir including militants.’ A decade after retirement, that goodwill remains intact, with Kashmiris dropping in on him and his wife Paran at their Friends Colony house in Delhi, to share gossip, information, and advice.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 15, 2026
Didn't find anything interesting or new in the book except the fact that Doctor Sahib is great if not greatest.
April 29, 2025
This book is a decent read.It is fairly well penned,laced as it is with Mr.Dulat's legendary wit and sharp observations.However,a tad too repetitive if one has read some of his earlier books (especially Kashmir:The Vajpayee Years).I would give it a 3.5 rating.Overall an informative book but,truth be told,nothing to write home about.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews