Spy Stories : Inside the Secret World of the RAW and the I.S.I.

by Adrian Levy, Cathy Scott-Clark

From 9/11 to 26/11, Burhan Wani to Kulbhushan Jadhav – the India–Pakistan relationship told from the perspective of the R.A.W. and the I.S.I. With unprecedented access to the R.A.W. and the I.S.I., the world’s most inscrutable spy agencies, Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark describe the workings of bitter rivals, mapping their complicated history from the 1960s to the present day. From the Parliament attacks to Pulwama, 9/11 to Osama bin Laden’s assassination, the rise of terror’s shadow armies to the fall of Kulbhushan Jadhav, here are some of the key events that have shaped the region, told from the split viewpoints of duelling enemies. Levy and Scott-Clark also uncover a darker seam – of the destructive impact of C.I.A. interference, and how the I.S.I. fought for its life against dark forces it once funded, while the R.A.W. created ghost enemies to strengthen its hand. Revelatory and unputdownable, Spy Stories clears the fog to reveal the spies and their assets, as you have never seen them before.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, India, History, Pakistan, Espionage, Terrorism

360 pages, Paperback

Published August 16, 2021

About the author

Adrian Levy is a journalist and film maker who currently writes for The Guardian. Specializing in long-form investigative work, his pieces most often filed from Asia are published in The Guardian's Weekend magazine.

Reviews

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty shocked by Levy and Clarke's entertaining and humbling The Siege which was about the 26/11 terror attack with a focus on the siege of the Taj hotel in Mumbai.

Spy Stories is an account of the formation and evolution of the spy agencies in India and Pakistan, the major events, players, tethered goats, love triangle of sorts with CIA and the seemingly bleak future. Levy and Clark are dealing with a much tougher, broader and complex topic here compared to The Siege. This is a story that spans decades.

Much of the book is told through the experiences of two agents who defected from their respective agencies - Monisha (who defected from Indian RAW - Research and Analysis Wing located in Lodhi Road, New Delhi) and Ifthikar (who defected from the Pakistani ISI - Inter Services Intelligence located in Aabpara, Islamabad). RAW was formed in 1968, after wars with China and Pakistan. The ISI was formed two decades ago in 1947 after Pakistan suffered a defeat to India in the 1947 war and lost Kashmir. The defections of Monisha and Ifthikar explains not just the changing nature of the two intelligence agencies, but also the changing nature of the two countries.

Major Events: Well, there are too many to mention. No real love between these two countries. The wars that India and Pakistan fought with each other strengthened the need for robust intelligence services in both countries. Domestic strife in Pakistan, 9/11, 7/7 and terrorists attacks on India like the IC 814 hijacking, the attack on the Indian parliament (for which the authors really castigate Indian investigation agencies), the Kargil war, the Kashmir issue, Afghan war, the 26/11 terror attacks and Pulawana attacks are some of the major events that shaped the course of RAW and the ISI.

Major Players: We are introduced to the early Indian spies like B Raman (who is called India's George Smiley because like Smiley, Raman liked to drink), the Pakistan hating Anand Kumar Verma and the emergence and myths about current advisor on National security, Ajit Doval. On the Pakistan side, there is the India hating Hamid Gul who nonetheless shared a back channel with Verma. Mahmud Ahmed who was head of ISI during 9/11 , was tasked by President Musharraf to present a new changing face of Pakistan to the Americans while also being tasked with ending communalism at home.

Tethered Goats: Afzal Guru - a former Kashmiri militant who later surrendered. He was alleged to be the mastermind in the Parliament attack. The authors dedicate much space to the screw ups in the investigation and implication of Afzal as a terror mastermind. Burhan Wani - a handsome young Kashmiri boy. The authors believe the RAW knew his whereabouts and built him up as a dangerous upcoming terrorist, a sort of a folk hero for Kashmiris, even though other terrorist groups never entertained him. His murder was planned by Doval and co to break the morale of Kashmiris. Kulbhushan Jadhav - An alleged Indian naval spy, now languishing in a Pakistani jail. He did have ties to various Indian defense agencies who half-heartedly nurtured him as an asset. ISI also secretly egged him on, encouraging his penetration into the Uzair Baloch family, before capturing him and parading him to the world as an Indian spy.

Love Triangle with CIA: ISI was the CIA's preferred mistress during the Cold War and even after 9/11. But the Afghan conflict, India's increasing influence in that country, signing of the nuclear agreement between Bush and Manmohan Singh and the emergence of China pushed CIA towards India.

The Bleak Future: The rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India which culminated with the election of Modi as Prime Minister and the penetration of Indian intelligence services by Hindu nationalists offers little chance for peace between the two countries. India is becoming more like Pakistan. The Pulwana terror attacks and revoking of Article 370 which removed special status to Kashmir, leaves very little for the two countries to discuss. The authors tackling of Pulawana suggests that RAW and ISI could be fighting a common enemy which wants a war to end all wars between the two countries. But mistrust between the two agencies prevents them from sitting across a table. Levy recently called for the two agencies to sit down once again.

Frankly, the subject was a bit too vast for a 250 page book (Kindle edition). I often felt like the authors were simply running through and summarizing many of the happenings. Maybe each big event required a separate book. The book lacked focus. What was the need for detailed accounts of the advances in surveillance methods after 7/7? Also, like Josy Joseph's The Silent Coup the book reads like a list of screw ups by the RAW, ISI and CIA after a point. The short length also prevents the authors from indulging in too many literary flourishes. They do come up with amusing names like Curd and Rice to describe a teacher (because he smelled of curd and rice) who uses stories from the Prophet Muhammad's life to permit surveillance on other Muslims. But such flourishes are rare in this otherwise dreary account of two bumbling but increasingly cruel and powerful intelligence agencies.

[AG Chandrsekar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pakistan’s ISI sponsored and funded book written to spread stories of ISI. Not as balanced third party view book. Don’t waste your money and time
I am really regret for buying and reading this book

[AK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had very high expectation from this book but I am really disappointed after reading this one.

English and grammar is really pathetic. Plus the author is jumping from one topic to another.

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Disappointed !!

[Pranav · Rating 3 out of 5]

An above average read. I applaud the research capabilities of the writer. There are some factual inaccuracies related to the Pulwama Terrorist attack.

[Sowmya Sridharamurthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite not interesting

I gathered a lot of expectation when i read through the snippet . However, the book fails to keep it up at various levels.
Firstly the format ot structural composition of this story telling is quite loose. Followed by the one sided derailed perception failed to justify the whole Spy concept.

[Dhaval Pandya · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book covers lots of stuff, it's not as greatly engaging as others from the authors. One can't help but notice the bias the authors have against BJP government. "Saffron terror" stuff comes across as more of a conjecture and agenda driven by IB officers in service in deference to their certain political masters, and those officers are considered to be truthful about what they're saying rather conveniently. India's eroding "secular" fabric is another Western myopic view of India and totally ignoring India's civilisational history. Not a vary bad book, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

[Karthik S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please give a pass,not worth it

It was not engaging read at all,very disappointed.Was expecting cracker of book given the reputation of writers but proved just otherwise.

[Rajesh Kumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is less on fact and high on speculation..There is hardly any new source or event that has not been discussed before..More of a conspiracy theories than a book

[Abhishek Rao · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read 1/3. Was initially exciting. But got boring after that.

[Lasic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth it.

[Rohit Enghakat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging book. It goes into the murky waters of India-Pakistan relations and tries to exploit the politics behind the war games. Largely based on media reports of well-publicized events and terror incidents, it tries to go deep inside the RAW-ISI organizations and bring the covert actions to the fore. Was expecting lots of deep-cover intelligence stories to be brought out but there were not too many, other than the stories published in the media. The spelling and grammatical errors were galore and it was very irritating and jarring. Some tight editing could have helped. But nonetheless, it was a decent attempt by the authors to unravel both the organizations.

[Manjula Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!!

This book is a genuine pageturner, and an excellent and objective summary of the dynamics within the ISI and RAW. For those that have followed the political and military situation in the Indian subvontinent over the last 20 years, this book is a must-read. Kudos to the authors for this brilliant work!

[Ruchik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven, inconsistent writing, pro Pakistan bias :the book tries to justify terrorism at several places makes it an average read. Read only if you are a left liberal.

[Dinesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an ode to how sneaky and conniving the I.S.I. (of Pakistan) and the R.A.W. (of India) can get with their politics, their secrets and their agendas.

One thing that stood out for me is how much more powerful the I.S.I. is due to Western support vs the R.A.W. who clutches on to crumbs to establish their authority. That being said, India has done a fabulous job of keeping Kashmir and the whole of Pakistan quiet.

A good read for anyone who wants to learn more about the inner workings behind the discretion these 2 orgs maintain. Just wish they had not packed in so much information which sometimes became difficult to follow.

One line about our neighbours that I loved reading - 'Pakistan was home to circularities and the Balakot air strikes was a helix. It wasn't an act in isolation'

[Maajed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although well researched, this book lacks the grippy narration of their earlier book, "The Meadow". The Meadow is also very well researched but, in contrast, reads like a thriller. This one reads like an essay and I feel as if space constraints have made them write a book that's being narrated by a reading program! The exception is part three where the narrative is more fluid and has some parts which are well written. There are instances in this part of the book where authors have managed to link a painful event with the human side of it. I like to relate events with people to get a larger picture. For example, the personal loss of Iftikhar, (whose deeds have been vile to say the least) has been very well written. Granted, its not possible to do that more often in this book but in some places it is. Some narratives should have built up that should have made you cringe, cry out, or even reflect and think out for the innocents who get caught up in these murky games. I'm glad that Clark and Levy have maintained neutrality in a subject that often evokes strong, sometimes cringe worthy feelings from people on either side of the fence. That's the sign of being amongst the top in your field but I felt, sometimes, when you need to call a spade a spade without being indirect you need to take that call for the sake of all those who will reach out to this book as a definite source of information on the subject. One more point- Monishas' role in the book is superfluous, vestigial even. I understand this character is being portrayed as a female spy in a reasonable sort of way (no femme fatale antics which is reasonable given that this book meticulously digs for facts) but having said that, she doesn't add anything worthwhile to the narrative. I think her role needs to be minimised in the next edition. Facts like difficulties faced by women who work in this chauvinist, testosterone filled atmosphere can be retained with Monishas' example in the backdrop.
Nevertheless, this is a good book - a work of intense, painstaking research and Clark and Levy are in a league of their own when it comes to telling a story about this complex, convoluted and highly volatile part of the world.

[SAAD SHAUKAT · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book offers an engaging and rare glimpse into the shadowy worlds of RAW and ISI, blending firsthand accounts from former operatives with high-stakes narratives of South Asian espionage. The authors’ access to top intelligence officials lends authenticity to the storytelling, especially in chapters covering Kashmir, Kargil, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and U.S. involvement post-9/11.
However, the book leans heavily on personal testimonies without consistently verifying them through multiple sources. This results in a narrative that feels more anecdotal than investigative. While the Kashmir conflict is given considerable attention, the human rights abuses and long-term humanitarian issues are treated too lightly, reducing a complex tragedy to strategic maneuvering.
Another limitation is the underdeveloped analysis of the shifting diplomatic dynamics — particularly how India gained favor with the CIA while Pakistan’s credibility waned. These crucial developments are touched upon but not explored in meaningful depth.
Despite its narrative strength, the book misses broader institutional critiques. It overlooks civil liberties, internal abuses of power, and the wider societal impact of covert operations. A more balanced, critically sourced approach would have elevated it from a compelling read to a definitive study.
An accessible and well-written introduction to South Asian intelligence politics, but lacking in analytical rigor and depth. Recommended for casual readers, but those seeking a more nuanced or investigative account may find it a bit underwhelming

[Rahul Rajput · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoroughly mediocre book which gives some new insights and perspectives on the ISI and R&AW. However, it suffers from a weak narrative building, underwhelming writing, perspectives which only served to advance the authors political views. It also suffers from a poor understanding of recent Indian politics which seems to come straight from the Guardian opinion pieces. Finally, it also suffers from both siding the issues between India and Pakistan, I assume without presenting a soft side the authors would lose access to Pakistani voices. The book does have a few chapters which are excellent, including the one on Burhan Wani. Overall, slightly disappointing.

[Arvind Radhakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and enjoyable book. The writers have put in decades of painstaking research.They have had very extensive discussions with senior officials from both ISI and R&AW,as well as numerous others including policy makers,army officers, intel assets,sources,and, renegades.It reveals a lot about the 'Deep State' in both India and Pakistan.This book deserves far more media attention than what it's presently getting and its startling content needs to be widely discussed in the public sphere.

[Bhanuj Kappal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account of two secret services at war

It's a pretty good look at the histories of two agencies that have been at war since their inception. An enjoyable read, though it perhaps doesn't go as deeply as I would have preferred (no doubt due to the lack of declassified documents and access issues) and raises quite a few questions that are left unsatisfactorily answered.

[Gurudatt Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some judgemental undertones, the book is balanced and provides a sneak peak into the world of spycraft. It also shows how geopolitics can shape action or inaction to shape a narrative. Good read.

[Shivam Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not very well written,yet a must read on power dynamics b/w institutions of spycraft

[Kunal Kale · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book could been much better

[Rajeev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark have given us a couple of interesting pieces of investigative journalism – Seige and Exile featuring the Mumbai attacks and the hunt for Osama bin Laden respectively. Spy Stories also seemed to be built upon an interesting premise, however, the execution of the work is flawed, primarily due to inept editing. The book is replete with facts covering major events that have taken place in the Indian subcontinent in the past eight decades or so, and somehow the 270 odd pages seem to be a tad short to cover all these events adequately.

Pakistan had set up the ISI in 1947 while India waited for the Chinese debacle to happen before setting up the Research and Analysis Wing to bolster the country’s capabilities in espionage and counterintelligence. Pakistan had a head start in the spying game considering the primacy of the Armed Forces in that country, and the ISI had no dearth of funds to enable it to expand and operate freely. RAW, on the other hand, had to deal with pacifist Nehruvian policies which were by and large against militarisation and was forced to toe a subdued line in dealing with the troublesome western neighbour. It was the vision and fortitude of some of the earlier pioneers in the spying game, like B Raman who ensured that India did not falter behind too much in comparison to the Pakistanis who were aggressive in their designs against India. Still, by and large in its incipient stage, RAW behaved more like a police organisation rather than an intelligence agency, primarily because the "agents" were all drawn from various police organisations in the country.

The sordid tale of the two intelligence agencies in the subcontinent was influenced to a large extent by American foreign policy and the games that the CIA played. RAW and ISI vied for the attention and support of the Americans and the CIA, knowing fully well the duplicitous nature of American foreign policy. As far as the Americans were concerned they did not have any love lost for either of the subcontinental neighbours and their only goal was to further their interests. Initially, during the years of the Cold War, it was all about creating a bulwark against the Communists in Russia and China and the Indians under Nehru doggedly shunned American overtures based on the flawed Non-Alignment Policy, which did the country no good in the long run. Socialist leanings in the Indian establishment further ensured that the country lost precious time and resources thus leading to an abysmal rate of economic growth which eventually earned India the tag of one of the poorest nations in the third world.

Meanwhile, the geopolitical situation in the subcontinent kept evolving. Following the invasion of Afghanistan by the Russians in the 80s, the ISI found itself in an enviable position as a frontline organisation assisting the Americans in thwarting the Soviet war machine. Perhaps the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan was the turning point in the history of Pakistan and this misadventure by the Soviets affected the Pakistani establishment and society in significant ways the effects of which are evident even to this day. The CIA utilised the Pakistani establishment to drum up jihadi sentiments amongst disparate groups of militant Islamic organisations and they were used to counter the Soviets. However, this policy proved costly for the Pakistanis who found themselves at the mercy of militant Islamist terrorists with their misguided notions of world supremacy of Islam, lounging dangerously in their backyard after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. The ISI then decided to redirect the disaffected terrorist groups into India where they effectively hijacked the nascent indigenous freedom movement in Kashmir.

From that point on, there was no looking back and the proverbial evil genie was out of the bottle. The Pakistanis were at their wit's end when they found out that the militant organisations that they had created and supported had eventually turned against their nation. In the aftermath of 9/11, ISI commenced a dangerous duplicitous game whereby they went after militant Islamists while at the same time supporting certain groups to act against India. It was not long before the Americans and the whole world realised the double game that the Pakistanis were playing and at one point in time any major terrorist activity occurring in any part of the world could be traced back to Pakistan. Pakistan became a virtual pariah in the comity of nations with its economy also being reduced to shambles.

The RAW went into overdrive especially after the BJP dispensation took over power in New Delhi in 2014. Indians did not leave any stone unturned to show Pakistanis in a bad light thereby causing immeasurable discomfiture to the Pakistani establishment. The Americans warmed up to the Indians, whom they considered a counterbalance to the expansionist agenda of China. It is purely a transactional relationship as far as the Americans are concerned, and it would bode well for the Indians to always keep that in mind and not to fall into an American embrace from which it would be difficult to extricate oneself in the long term.

The authors seem to have a definite bias towards the Pakistani establishment and they seem eager to lend credence to the Pakistani point of view. Notwithstanding the well-documented fact that decades of playing with the proverbial jihadi fire and utilising the jihadi groups as an extension of their foreign policy, primarily against India, led to the predicament the Pakistanis find themselves in, the narrative tends to absolve that country of any blame whatsoever. Pakistan is painted as a victim of terrorism overlooking the fact that ill-intentioned actions on their part were primarily responsible for the sordid situation that the country found itself in. The authors come up with absurd insinuations against Indian intelligence agencies that the 26/ 11 attacks on Mumbai and the dastardly attack on paramilitary forces in Pulwama were staged by the Indian establishment to discredit the Pakistanis!! The book also talks at length about the much-touted theory of “saffron terror” (the bogey raised by the Congress dispensation) If nothing else the authors throw light on an alternative theory about militant Islam which will warm the cockles of the hearts of a certain section of the society.

The book is a veritable cornucopia of all the major incidents that have occurred in the Indian subcontinent since the time both countries attained independence. However, a book of this limited volume is unable to deal with any of these subjects comprehensively or eloquently. A major flaw is the disjointed style of the narrative which takes away a lot of the reading pleasure. Notwithstanding that, the authors are successful in portraying a controversial view of the espionage drama happening amongst the south Asian neighbours, albeit at the risk of Indian readers finding the narrative significantly lopsided in favour of our western neighbour.

[Saad Din · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge bundle of information; this is how I put it. This book is a result of a herculean research that had grave risks embedded in it, one wonder how they got to know such info thru different people having sensitive data.

The period immediately after the 9/11 was a real turbulent era specially for the some one living in Pakistan this book has unearthed many mysteries that were originated during those days , it also deeply covers the approach taken by the secret services in dealing with certain issues. The narrative propagated by respective nations is amalgam of half truths and half lies this is what we learn by going thru it.

One thing which I feel lacks in it is the account of how both ISI & RAW does espionage inside each other territories it does mention some but emphasize more on the terrorist acts and their king pins less on the spy networks that should have done more justice with the title never the less it shows us the the dark under belly of international politics.

This book has a personal dimension for me as it mention a campaign "YEH HUM NAHEEN" I was part and parcel of this media/PR project, the Idea was floated by my boss Mr. Waseem Mahmood an ex BBC producer the petition signing was the idea of my friend who is an Advertising executive, I was the coordinator and treasurer for the venture. It feels great when some body not linked to you mentioned your efforts , thanks to the writers of this book.

[antriksh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Levy and Clark both are journalists and I have not read their other works but this felt like an agenda driven or pakistan sponsored or coerced may be ( I am giving them a benefit of doubt) illustration of two agencies who the world knows are at logger heads since 1947. May be I am an extreme nationalist (although I consider myself a patriot not a nationalist) but this didn't read as impartial / balanced. There are castigations strife with insults when it comes to RAW or RAW agents. RAW was blamed even for the parliament attacks. RAW presented a beguiling narrative to gain trust of the west, they say. I don't know the truth but levy and Clark's truth doesn't feel right.

[Anvay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Typically I don’t give a one star rating to any book. This is because if the book was that bad, I would not pick it up to read in the first place.

This book is terrible and in particular I am disappointed at it luring us by the promise of delivering spy stories from ISI and RAW.

These authors need to read some spy books. Very poor story telling.

Basically this book is a collection of interviews, facts and information gathering poorly put together. Not weaved into a story.

The books also looks biased at many places and seems like being influenced by the ISI. Please avoid reading as you will be wasting time. Wish I hadn’t picked up this book.

[Vineeth Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Adrian Levy - Cathy Scott work. Reveals great amount of details on the way RAW & ISI function. Revelations on Pulwama blasts are the same as those covered in Rahul Pandita's latest. Overall a good read.

[MAYANK BHARADWAJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's one of the finest and most detailed ground work done by the authores to explain the complex and tangled dynamics of subcontinent.
This book explained what is not we see with naked eyes and how layered the Indo-Pak relai is.
Must read for one who really want to understand indo pak diplomacy

[Seema Devgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was on my wish list for quite some time and was really excited when I started. However, after couple of chapters - I felt disappointed. my impression about the book changed for the better, towards the late chapters.

A lot has been covered in this book and around the major events that influenced political and international relations. Besides India-Pakistan, it is also about India-US and Pakistan-US and how the CIA influenced both ISI and RAW history and development. The narrative published in mainstream media in India and Pakistan is trying to make their own country look good. While the book is just an extension of this media coverage, you do get both sides of the story and a lot is still unresolved (and will remain so as false evidence is planted or right facts are hidden).

There is no doubt that the book is researched well (and if you read other works by Adrian Levy, you see that same facts have been reported and written about). However, for most part of the book, I did not like. the style of writing. Too many people, groups and abbreviations used and if you are not familiar with them - it can get confusing. I was almost about to leave the book half way but carried on as I liked the story telling format of last few chapters better than the reporting format of earlier chapters. Certainly got me intrigued to read more about certain events and people.

[Jaswant Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

From pure entertainment perspective, it is a great book indeed. Something that you would like to finish in one sitting. Specially millennials who grew up in the subcontinent would relate the timelines discussed in this book painstakingly. However the writers spent way too much time discussing ISI. It is possible that they were at the center of all the events in last two-three decades but one can't help notice how the writer try to bring nuance in all the characters from ISI - almost sympathizing with them while the only arc RAW gets is from being ineffective and weak organization to a cunning, sly and Hindu nationalist spy agency supported by CIA. Both RAW and CIA have limited dimension in the book. Heck, they created a hero out of ISI. Theories presented are plausible but loose credibility due to excess effort to put more nuance in how ISI worked. That's the only con. Now it is quite possible that the writer were shut out by RAW and CIA so they had no choice but write more about ISI. If that's the case, it becomes a propaganda though I do not believe that was writers intention. They were just used by ISI effectively.