Jermaine Beckford scored a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time to earn Leeds a replay in a breathtaking match

Preamble Hello. In Fight Club, Tyler Durden says that it's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything. Leeds fans probably know what he means. What a time this must be to support Leeds: having hit the bottom, they are now on an inexorable march back to where they belong, but in doing so they get to flush out the JCLs, regain the club's identity, go on a load of new away trips and, almost as an afterthought, win more often than not.

And, as a bonus, they even got to win at Old Trafford. Leeds were unbelievably impressive that day, but didn't get quite as much credit as they deserved because of the modern media's tedious desire to question whether every single defeat for one of the Big Four represents the end of an era. What was most impressive about Leeds was their positive intent, and we can legitimately expect the same at White Hart Lane this evening.

I agree with their manager Simon Grayson when he says that this game will be harder than the win at Old Trafford; partly because the element of surprise has gone,and partly because they will be playing against a midfield that contains actual footballers. I suspect there will be few reserves and no dead wood in the Spurs side today, and that's the biggest compliment anyone could pay Leeds.

An email nicked from the earlier MBM "Player of the year contenders: Rooney, Anelka, Fabregas, Tevez, Dunne," says Jon Linehan. "No one else really stands out for me. Definitely not at my beloved Liverpool, can't think of a standout Spurs player. Forget the rest."

Rooney? He has been stunning in some games but more than a little inconsistent. Not that I blame him, given the burden he has to carry. Evra is the only credible contender from that club. He is marvellous. I'd put Given in there, and Milner, and Drogba, and maybe Lennon. Fabregas stands out like a sore one, though. He's a joy. If Gerrard makes the shortlist this year, I will officially give up on humanity.

A wee history lesson It's 11 years and two decades since Spurs last met Leeds in the FA Cup. It was on 24 February 1999, when Darren Anderton did this, and David Ginola did this, and David Ginola also did this. More of the same please!

Team news The England Under-21 winger Danny Rose, a product of the Leeds academy, makes his Spurs debut, one of three changes from the side that forgot to turn up at Anfield on Wednesday. Alan Hutton and Sebastien Bassong also come in. Luka Modric gets a rare start in the centre of midfield. Winger and wide boy David Bentley isn't even in the squad, with rumours that he was acting the goat in training. He really has spunked a sublime talent up the wall, hasn't he? It's weird now to think that he started Fabio Capello's first game as England manager.

Leeds make two changes from the side that lost at home to Carlisle on Tuesday: Patrick Kisnorbo and Michael Doyle replace the captain Richard Naylor, who has a hamstring injury, and Mike Grella.

Tottenham (4-4-2) Gomes; Hutton, Bassong, Dawson, Bale; Kranjcar, Modric, Jenas, Rose; Defoe, Crouch.
Subs: Alnwick, Pavlyuchenko, Keane, Palacios, Naughton, O'Hara, Dervite.

Leeds (4-2-3-1) Ankergren; Crowe, Kisnorbo, Bromby, Hughes; Doyle, Kilkenny; Howson, Snodgrass, Johnson; Beckford.
Subs: David Martin, Prutton, Becchio, Grella, Michalik, Robinson, White.

Fit bloke Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)

The most pointeless statistic in history, aka, squad-numbers-in-the-starting XI score Spurs 146-128 Leeds.

Prediction Spurs 3-1 Leeds.

1 min Spurs kick off from right to left. Leeds are in their yellow away strip.

2 min "You know full well Gerrard will be nominated for Player of the Year, as will Terry," says Tom Hopkins. "It's the law. Anyway, Tevez has to win and anyone who says otherwise is a moron and a boot-licker." Suck my socks. If Tevez wins it's a travesty; it's only six weeks ago that people were calling him a £40m Paul Dickov.

4 min The talented Snodgrass, playing in the hole rather than on the right wing, has had a couple of decent early touches. Leeds have started pretty well.

5 min "It took me approximately ten seconds to read your tally of the squad numbers in the starting XI," says Peter Wahlberg. "That is time neither I nor the literally dozens of others glued to the MBM will ever get back. How could you." How do you think I feel: I spent all last night adding up every possible permutation of both sides. I missed Celebrity Big Brother, QI and everything.

6 min Alan Wiley has his first breather, calling Jenas and Snodgrass towards him for a chat. No idea why.

7 min A marvellous effort from Defoe almost gives Spurs the lead. He ran onto a long lump from the back by Bassong, headed it into the space away from Bromby and then, from a tightish angle 25 yards out, lobbed the bouncing ball high over Ankergren, who got back to tip it over the bar. The resulting corner is cleared to Kranjcar, whose swirling strike through the crowd from 25 yards forces a left-handed save by Ankergren, diving low to his left. That was a very good stop because he was probably unsighted.

9 min: DEFOE MISSES A PENALTY! Crouch nods down a long throw from the left, and the debutant Rose gets to the ball a split-second before Doyle cleans him out. A clear penalty... but Ankergren saves it! It wasn't much of an effort from Defoe, sidefooted low to the keeper's left but nowhere near the corner, and Ankergren went the right way before palming it clear.

11 min Spurs are all over Leeds at the moment and, after a sinuous run to the edge of the area, Defoe's strike deflects off Kisnorbo and wide for a corner.

13 min "Please tell me that Danny Rose's nickname is 'broadway'," says Lee Calvert. "That would make my day." You are crediting footballers with far too much intelligence. Or, indeed, any intelligence.

14 min Leeds can't keep the ball at the moment, and Kisnorbo is penalised for using Crouch as a climbing aid on the edge of the area. It's right of centre, which favours the left-footed Gareth Bale...

15 min ... and he forces another decent save from Ankergren. Bale got it up and down well enough, although Ankergren had plenty of time to get across his goal and punch it clear with both hands.

18 min Johnson almost plays Beckford through on goal but doesn't. Not sure why I bothered writing that, on reflection.

19 min "Player of the Year," says a man or woman who calls him or herself Silvery Fox. "Fact (or something like that) - Best English central midfielder - James Milner. But he still hasn't been as good as Fabregas. Outside shout of player of the year and possible England goalie - Joe Hart (pains me saying that being a Villan as well). It is tricky this season as there haven't been any consistently outstanding players (or if there have been they get injured regularly)."

20 min Leeds have their best attack so far. Howson smartly evades Bale on the right wing, but his cross, intended for Johnson, takes a nick off a defender and goes to safety.

21 min Leeds are again penalised for a foul on Crouch 20 yards out. This time the offender is Crowe, but it's to the left of centre so will be taken by the right-footed Kranjcar. It bounces up horribly in front of Ankergren, who fumbles it as a consequence, and comes to Defoe six yards out, but his shot is blocked desperately by Kisnorbo. How is this still 0-0?

22 min Spurs should have had another penalty. Modric puts Defoe through on goal with a fine long pass; Defoe moves into the area and is about to shoot when Crowe bundles him over from the side, but Alan Wiley waves play on. In his defence, I thought on the first showing that Crowe just got his toe round to clear the ball, but replays show that Crowe kicked Defoe's foot onto the ball. It should have been a penalty, and would probably have been a red card. Alan Wiley made a very similar mistake over Christmas, when he should have given a penalty against Wes Brown for a challenge on Hull's Richard Garcia. But those are very, very hard decisions to see properly. Video evidence please!

25 min Ankergren fists away another free-kick from Bale. It was a fairly rudimentary save but Leeds are under siege at the moment.

26 min "Another useless stat," says Hörður Már Gestsson. "Robbie Keane. This season: 15 starts, subbed 12 times, on 2 from the bench and 4 times unused sub. For Liverpool: 16 starts, subbed 12 times, came 6 times from bench and 4 times an unused sub. Waiting for Jamie to draw our attention to how badly 'Arry is treating him." I'm just waiting for those trousers to split.

27 min "In your earlier MBM, there was a discussion about Chelsea's 'winning mentality' which basically boiled down to the insight that, like Revie's Leeds, Chelsea are rubbish at being really good," says Scott W. "After seeing these opening 20 minutes, and the score still 0-0, I am forced to the conclusion that Spurs are really good at being rubbish."

28 min Robert Snodgrass draws a good save from the league's most talented goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes. He picked up possession just outside the D, shifted it onto his right foot and bent a fine effort towards the far corner. Gomes dived to his left to push it wide.

29 min "I think," says Stig Andersen, "the nominees should be: Drogba, Aaron Lennon, Giggs, Torres, Lampard." Really? If you strip away the romance and charm, Giggs has been a flat-track bully this season; Torres hasn't played enough, and has occasionally behaved like a brat when he has; and Lampard has arguably had his worst season since 2002-03, admittedly by his stratospheric standards.

30 min Leeds are coming into this, and Beckford has just missed a great chance. Dawson made a mess of clearing a long ball forward on the half-volley, and it ran through to Beckford in a fair bit of space on the left side of the box. He drove his left-footed shot crisply across Gomes but a few yards wide of the far post.

32 min Leeds are having their best spell by some distance now. We've only had 32 minutes, but what a funny young game this has been.

33 min Beckford draws a fine save from Gomes with a much better effort. Snodgrass (I think) helped a lovely first-time pass into the space behind the defence and, as it bounced up on the edge of the box, Beckford lashed it across goal with his left foot. Gomes leapt to his left to claw it away.

36 min It took Leeds 20 minutes to wake up but, since then, they have probably been the better side. Johnson wins a corner on the left but it comes to nothing.

37 min "Drogba has seized the 'headline grabber' spot vacated by Ronaldo - and is probably the best-known player in the land who is also in good nick," says Scott W. "Surely this is what the Player of the Year Award is made for. Fabregas has been as excellent as he usually is, yet still - is it Arsenal's fault? - doesn't grab the nation's attention in the same way Rooney and Drogba do. Until he (a) gets a British celebrity wife; (b) gets a wacky hairdo; (c) endorses pants or smelly stuff or (d) moves to United or Chelsea, he will have to be content with the Football Writers' Player of the Year Award. Terry has dispensed largesse with such self-righteousness what self-respecting pro wouldn't vote him Player's Player of the Year?" I think Terry has been really good this season. On the field, anyway. Off it he's obviously had a laughable shocker.

39 min I've just realised that Jermaine Jenas is on the pitch. I'm not sure whether that speaks louder about his level of competence or mine.

GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Leeds (Crouch 42) A goal was coming at one end or another, and it's gone to Spurs. Bale swerved around Howson a little easily on the left and screwed a deliberate low cross back to Kranjcar on the edge of the area. His swept left-footed shot was cleared by the right foot of the goalkeeper Ankergren, who was hurtling across his goal, but it went straight to Crouch and he instinctively side-footed it high into the net.

43 min Another chance for Leeds. Beckford went on a very good run to the edge of the area, drawing defenders towards him like liberals to a witchhunt, and then played it to Snodgrass on the left of the box. He had two options: take a touch and welt it towards goal with that lovely left foot of his or play a return pass to Beckford. He did neither, passing it tamely into Gomes's hands.

45 min Jenas should have made it 2-0. Kranjcar's square pass across the face of the area was dummied well by Defoe and came to Jenas. He did the hard part, moving smoothly past Bromby onto his left foot, but then screwed his shot over the bar from 15 yards.

Half time: Tottenham 1-0 Leeds That was great stuff: breathless but with lots of good football. It could easily be 5-3 to Spurs, and I wouldn't rule Leeds out of this just yet. See you in 10 minutes.

Half-time quote comes from Phil Brown's Twitter page: "Besides Geovanni, I can't think of a single person I've ever truly loved."

Half-time chit-chat "Gerrard's form has been worrying from an England point of view. Unlike Le Tiss at Southampton, he has been unable to lift a team. The golden generation - which has been around for what seems like, erm, a generation - is coming to an end. Ferdinand, Gerrard, Owen and to a lesser extent Lampard are not performing for one reason or another. They need more motivation. Beckham has plenty at Milan. This woman has promised to strip if Milan beat Inter in the Italian derby. Clearly a Liverpudlian
'star' needs to make the same offer and guarantee Gerrard's place at the World Cup. I nominate Sporty Spice." How about Pete Burns?

More on the Player of the Year argument that has captivated twos of people Stig Andersen (29 min) makes various arguments in favour of Lampard, Torres and Giggs, ruining it all by saying "Giggs, amazing what he can do at his age, has now moved to the centre, and is still a game setter for a United team in disarray."

Giggs has played left-wing in almost all of his games this season. One point Stig makes is valid, though: is it actually the player of 2009 or the player of the 2009-10 season? I still genuinely don't know. And if it's the former, surely they should just make the 2009-10 season and get players to file on May. There's this marvellous thing called email that might make the process a bit quicker.

46 min Leeds kick off from right to left and get a chance within 33 seconds of the restart. Jenas's dismal backpass is intercepted by Beckford, but his touch around Gomes is disgustingly heavy and goes for a goal-kick. That was a really big chance, and Beckford - clenched fists at the side of his head, emitting heat from all orifices - knows it.

47 min "Having reconsidered Player of the Year now I've decided it will be Rooney," says Silvery Fox. "The media fawn over him, he is English and he is in pretty decent form carrying United singlehandely for the last few matches. Ferdinand could be in trouble after today's game as well (his first game back). It's not like he was overly stretched but with about 10 minutes left he was marking Fagan on a free kick. As its delivered he looks at Fagan then basically swings his arm round and clatters him round the head knocking him to the ground. Referee missed it but after the Gallas 'tackle' the other night who knows what people will get done for these days."

I am confident justice will be served and that Patrice Evra will get a four-match bam.

48 min Bromby is booked for a body-check on Defoe. I'm not sure he could have got out of the way. Anyway it's a free-kick, 25 yards out and left of centre. Kranjcar crunches it into the wall.

49 min Beckford plays a good first-time pass to the onrushing Johnson, but he shins an awkward volley well wide from 20 yards. It wasn't an easy ball to deal with, in his defence, but Beckford continues to trouble the Spurs defence with his movement.

50 min Doyle is booked for something or other.

51 min "There can only be one choice for Player of the Year," says Jon Cummins. "Tiger Woods." I'll honk to that.

GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Leeds (Beckford 52) It's him again. Leeds richly deserve this, as they have started the second half superbly. Snodgrass curved in a corner from the right, and Bromby at the near post just got ahead of Bassong to flick it towards goal with the studs of his left foot. It flew into the six-yard box, where there was a bit of a scramble before Beckford made it his and touched it past Gomes.

54 min "I can't believe there's even a debate about this," says Patrick McGovern. "The Player of the Year has to be David Beckham."

55 min Make no mistake: Tottenham are in a real game here. If I was Harry Redknapp – and there but for the grace of God goes he – I'd get Wilson Palacios on quicksmart.

56 min Kilkenny's dipping 25-yard shot is saved comfortably by Gomes.

58 min You suspect that Palacios was on the bench for emergencies only, and this is huge credit to Leeds: he is coming on for the youngster Rose. That means Modric will go wide left and Palacios moves into the centre.

59 min Crowe is rightly booked for missing a sliding tackle on Bale.

60 min "I'd like Mickey Owen to be sarcastically voted Player of the Year," says Niall Harden, "just to see how he deals with it." He genuinely wouldn't get the joke. Of course he wouldn't. I find it astonishing that intelligent people still talk about him going to the World Cup. He has missed a staggering percentage of chances this season. If Andy Cole missed some of the chances Owen has missed this season we would still hear about them now.

61 min "Don't know what all the fuss over Beckford is," says Rod Adams. "Snodgrass looks to be the far superior player...them goals don't make themselves ya know." Well Snodgrass clearly has more pure ability, but then Dimitar Berbatov has more pure ability than Didier Drogba. Beckford's movement is outstanding. I like Snodgrass a lot; there is something very Scottish about his distribution and mischievous jinking.

63 min Spurs will be really uncomfortable at how open this game is. It's swinging back and forth like a colostomy bag, and Johnson needlessly heads Bale's cross behind for a corner. From it, Bassong's header is straight at Ankergren.

64 min Glorious play from Leeds. Snodgrass gives it to Kilkenny on the right side of the box, and he returns it to Snodgrass with a lovely backheel. Snodgrass was at the edge of the box and stretching, and his left-footed shot flew comfortably wide of the far post. At first I thought Palacios, coming from the side, had fouled Snodgrass as he took the shout, but there were no complaints and replays suggest he was unimpeded.

65 min Kisnorbo is booked for yet another foul on someone or other.

66 min "Is this game on ITV?" says Niall Harden. "I might get out of bed, it sounds decent. PS I'm in the same timezone as you and have no excuse." I've come across some lazy excuses for masculinity in my time, mainly in the mirror, but this takes the biscuit.

68 min You expect the game to move insidiously Tottenham's way, and for them to really push on in pursuit of a winner, but it's not happening. Leeds are still right in this.

69 min Defoe drags a low shot towards the near post from 22 yards, and Ankergren gets down to make a comfortable save.

70 min Apropos not very much, look at the the magisterial way in which Crooksy administers instant retribution here. Don't mess with the Garth. I love Garth Crooks, and I don't use the word love lightly. Also, what a shocking tackle by Fenwick, yet one that doesn't draw much criticism from the commentators. These days they would want a 10-match ban.

71 min A double change for Spurs: Keane and Pavlyuchenko replace Crouch and Kranjcar. I presume Keane will play a floating role from the left, with Modric on the right.

72 min "Oh dear, you printed that did you?" yawns Niall Harden. "My pathetic MBM entries are the first thing that comes up when i put my name into google, which I suspect potential employers are doing. Hello, potential employer! I'm not a loser! Oh. Deed poll it is." Change your name to Mac Millings.

73 min In a stupid way, I reckon this might be Leeds' best chance of winning the tie. There's a real edginess about the crowd, and Spurs don't have any sort of control of Beckford. You suspect that they won't make so many mistakes if there is a replay.

74 min Spurs are starting to have more of the ball now, but Leeds look reasonably comfortable. Spurs are a bit ragged tactically.

GOAL! Tottenham 2-1 Leeds (Pavlyuchenko 75) What a fine goal this is. Really high-class stuff. Palacios, on the halfway line, played the ball to Bale and went tearing down the left. Bale found Palacios, who passed it square across the face of the area to Pavlyuchenko. He dummied it for Defoe and span into the space behind the defence; Defoe touched it through first-time to Pavlyuchenko, and he sidefooted it calmly past Ankergren. A goal of delicious simplicity.

78 min Luciano Becchio is about to come on for Leeds, prompting ITV's Peter Drury to go off on a nostalgic one about Villa and Ardiles. Becchio is from Argentina, you see.

80 min "With so many Premier League teams in need of extra firepower up front it's strange why no one has come in with a £2-3m bid for Beckford," says James Heal. "Even if he doesn't hit the ground running, he's bound to pluck a few goals and is young enough to be developed - could be a steal for the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd...." I agree. It's hard to be sure as most of us have only seen him play a few times, but he looks like someone who could get 15 goals a season in the Premier League. Go on Phil Brown, roll those dice.

81 min Becchio comes on for Michael Doyle.

82 min Keane has a goal wrongly disallowed for offside. He played the ball down the left flag to Pavlyuchenko, who was flagged offside, and then headed the resulting cross cleverly over Ankergren. In fairness to Leeds, I don't know if Ankergren really went for it, as the whistle had gone, but it was a smart, lobbed header.

83 min Kilkenny is booked for putting some hurt on Palacios.

84 min Leeds look a bit weary now, and Jenas is able to run 50 yards before his shot takes a deflection off the human shield that is Kisnorbo.

84 min Hughes clears off the line from his own player. Bale's cut-back from the left hit the instep of a Leeds defender at the near post and was drifting into the far corner before Hughes punted it clear.

85 min Leeds have shot their bolt. It's all Spurs now. Bale beats Howson yet again but then picks the wrong ball when he should cut it back for either Keane or Pavlyuchenko.

87 min Keane draws another decent, plunging save from Andergren with a low left-footed shot from 25 yards.

88 min Harry Redknapp deserves a lot of credit for a brave double substitution. The increased mobility of Keane and Pavlyuchenko killed Leeds as they started to tire. Bradley Johnson is booked, the sixth Leeds player to get the card. Moments later he is replaced by Aidan White, an 18-year-old who won't be appearing on a catwalk near you soon.

89 min The substitute White beats Jenas on the left and is about to put in a cross when Dawson steams in a with a majestic man-and-ball tackle. That was straight out of the 1980s. Great stuff.

90 min Beckford finds Becchio in the box. He holds Bassong off smartly but is almost pleading for someone to back the play up so that he can lay the ball off for a first-time shot. Nobody does, and Spurs eventually clear.

90+1 min Five minutes of added time.

90+2 min Hutton is booked for a foul on Beckford just past the halfway line. File under 'taking one for the team'.

90+3 min Spurs break three on three but Keane plays one of the worst passes in the history of football, overhitting it to Pavlyuchenko.

90+4 min Marvellous defending from Dawson. Kilkenny slid a gorgeous ball to Beckford through on Gomes; he was 12 yards out and about to shoot first time, but Dawson came from the side and made a beautiful sliding interception.

PENALTY TO LEEDS! Dawson brings Beckford down and it's a penalty in the 96th minute. Howson drove a very good ball from right to left to find Beckford on the left corner of the box. He had Dawson one on one, exactly where he wanted him, and tried to go down the line to drive the ball across the face of the six-yard box. Dawson came in with the challenge from the side and, after a short pause, Alan Wiley gave the penalty. Dawson definitely got a stud on the ball and is livid, but I reckon he scissored Beckford's right leg a split-second earlier. It's a really tough call, that, but on balance I think that was a penalty.

GOAL! Tottenham 2-2 Leeds (Beckford 90) He's got stones of steel. That is a brilliant penalty under pressure, curved high and emphatically into the net to the left of the penalty-saving specialist Gomes. Magnificent stuff.

Full time: Tottenham 2-2 Leeds The FA Cup, eh? Bloody hell. That's the best FA Cup match I've seen in years, and there's a wee tingle in the spine. After from the first 15 minutes, when they could have conceded five, Leeds were every bit as good as Spurs and showed enormous mental strength to come from behind twice. They also played some high-quality football in a simply wonderful game, and the replay should be a cracker. Thanks for your emails. I'll leave you with this from Scott W: "I never thought I'd say this, and as a United supporter you might not like to hear it, but Leeds United have become loveable, haven't they?"

(RAW) headquarters New Delhi

The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), created in 1968, has assumed a significant status in the formulation of India's domestic and foreign policies, particularly the later. Working directly under the Prime Minister, it has over the years become an effective instrument of India's national power. In consonance with Kautilya's precepts, RAW's espionage doctrine is based on the principle of waging a continuous series of battles of intrigues and secret wars.

RAW, ever since its creation, has always been a vital, though unobtrusive, actor in Indian policy-making apparatus. But it is the massive international dimensions of RAW operations that merit a closer examination. To the credit of this organization, it has in very short span of time mastered the art of spy warfare. Credit must go to Indira Gandhi who in the late 1970s gave it a changed and much more dynamic role. To suit her much publicized Indira Doctrine, (actually India Doctrine) Mrs. Gandhi specifically asked RAW to create a powerful organ within the organization which could undertake covert operations in neighboring countries. It is this capability that makes RAW a more fearsome agency than its superior KGB, CIA, MI-6, BND and the Mossad.

Its internal role is confined only in monitoring events having bearing on the external threat. RAW's boss works directly under the Prime Minister. An Additional Secretary to the Government of India, under the Director RAW, is responsible for the Office of Special Operations (OSO), intelligence collected from different countries, internal security (under the Director General of Security), the electronic/technical section and general administration. The Additional Secretary as well as the Director General of Security is also under the Director of RAW. DG Security has two important sections: the Aviation Research Center (ARC) and the Special Services Bureau (SSB). The joint Director has specified desks with different regional divisions/areas (countries):

Area one. Pakistan: Area two, China and South East Asia: Area three, the Middle East and Africa: and Area four, other countries. Aviation Research Center (ARC) is responsible for interception, monitoring and jamming of target country's communication systems. It has the most sophisticated electronic equipment and also a substantial number of aircraft equipped with state-of- the art eavesdropping devices. ARC was strengthened in mid-1987 by the addition of three new aircraft, the Gulf Stream-3. These aircraft can reportedly fly at an altitude of 52,000 ft and has an operating range of 5000 kms. ARC also controls a number of radar stations located close to India's borders. Its aircraft also carry out oblique reconnaissance, along the border with Bangladesh, China, Nepal and Pakistan.

RAW having been given a virtual carte blanche to conduct destabilization operations in neighboring countries inimical to India to seriously undertook restructuring of its organization accordingly. RAW was given a list of seven countries (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Pakistan and Maldives) whom India considered its principal regional protagonists. It very soon systematically and brilliantly crafted covert operations in all these countries to coerce, destabilize and subvert them in consonance with the foreign policy objectives of the Indian Government.

RAW's operations against the regional countries were conducted with great professional skill and expertise. Central to the operations was the establishment of a huge network inside the target countries. It used and targeted political dissent, ethnic divisions, economic backwardness and criminal elements within these states to foment subversion, terrorism and sabotage. Having thus created the conducive environments, RAW stage-managed future events in these countries in such a way that military intervention appears a natural concomitant of the events. In most cases, RAW's hand remained hidden, but more often that not target countries soon began unearthing those "hidden hand". A brief expose of RAW's operations in neighboring countries would reveal the full expanse of its regional ambitions to suit India Doctrine ( Open Secrets : India's Intelligence Unveiled by M K Dhar. Manas Publications, New Delhi, 2005).

Bangladesh

Indian intelligence agencies were involved in erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh since early 1960s. Its operatives were in touch with Sheikh Mujib for quite some time. Sheikh Mujib went to Agartala in 1965. The famous Agartala case was unearthed in 1967. In fact, the main purpose of raising RAW in 1968 was to organise covert operations in Bangladesh. As early as in 1968, RAW was given a green signal to begin mobilising all its resources for the impending surgical intervention in erstwhile East Pakistan. When in July 1971 General Manekshaw told Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that the army would not be ready till December to intervene in Bangladesh, she quickly turned to RAW for help. RAW was ready. Its officers used Bengali refugees to set up Mukti Bahini. Using this outfit as a cover, Indian military sneaked deep into Bangladesh. The story of Mukti Bahini and RAW's role in its creation and training is now well-known. RAW never concealed its Bangladesh operations.

Interested readers may have details in Asoka Raina's Inside RAW: the Story of India's Secret Service published by Vikas Publishing House of New Delhi.The creation of Bangladesh was masterminded by RAW in complicity with KGB under the covert clauses of Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation (adopted as 25-year Indo-Bangladesh Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation in 1972).

RAW retained a keen interest in Bangladesh even after its independence. Mr. Subramaniam Swamy, Janata Dal MP, a close associate of Morarji Desai said that Rameswar Nath Kao, former Chief of RAW, and Shankaran Nair upset about Sheikh Mujib's assassination chalked a plot to kill General Ziaur Rahman. However, when Morarji Desai came into power in 1977 he was indignant at RAW's role in Bangladesh and ordered operations in Bangladesh to be called off; but by then RAW had already gone too far. General Zia continued to be in power for quite some time but he was assassinated after Indira Gandhi returned to power, though she denied her involvement in his assassination( Weekly Sunday,Calcutta,18 September, 1988).

RAW was involved in training of Chakma tribals and Shanti Bahini who carry out subversive activities in Bangladesh. It has also unleashed a well-organized plan of psychological warfare, creation of polarisation among the armed forces, propaganda by false allegations of use of Bangladesh territory by ISI, creation of dissension's among the political parties and religious sects, control of media, denial of river waters, and propping up a host of disputes in order to keep Bangladesh under a constant political and socio-economic pressure ( " RAW and Bangladesh" by Mohammad Zainal Abedin, November 1995, RAW In Bangladesh: Portrait of an Aggressive Intelligence, written and published by Abu Rushd, Dhaka).

Sikkim and Bhutan

Sikkim was the easiest and most docile prey for RAW. Indira Gandhi annexed the Kingdom of Sikkim in mid-1970s, to be an integral part of India. The deposed King Chogyal Tenzig Wangehuck was closely followed by RAW's agents until his death in 1992.

Bhutan, like Nepal and Sikkim, is a land-locked country, totally dependent on India. RAW has developed links with members of the royal family as well as top bureaucrats to implements its policies. It has cultivated its agents amongst Nepalese settlers and is in a position to create difficulties for the Government of Bhutan. In fact, the King of Bhutan has been reduced to the position of merely acquiescing into New Delhi's decisions and go by its dictates in the international arena.

Sri Lanka

Post- independence Sri Lanka, inspire of having a multi-sectoral population was a peaceful country till 1971 and was following independent foreign policy. During 1971 Indo-Pakistan war despite of heavy pressure from India, Sri Lanka allowed Pakistan's civil and military aircraft and ships to stage through its air and sea ports with unhindered re-fueling facilities. It also had permitted Israel to establish a nominal presence of its intelligence training set up. It permitted the installation of high powered transmitter by Voice of America (VOA) on its territory, which was resented by India.

It was because of these 'irritants' in the Indo-Sri Lanka relations that Mrs Indira Gandhi planned to bring Sri Lanka into the fold of the so-called Indira Doctrine (India Doctrine) Kao was told by Gandhi to repeat their Bangladesh success. RAW went looking for militants it could train to destabilize the regime. Camps were set up in Tamil Nadu and old RAW guerrillas trainers were dug out of retirement. RAW began arming the Tamil Tigers and training them at centers such as Gunda and Gorakhpur. As a sequel to this ploy, Sri Lanka was forced into Indian power-web when Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987 was singed and Indian Peace-Keeping-Force (IPKF) landed in Sri Lanka.

The Ministry of External Affairs was also upset at RAW's role in Sri Lanka as they felt that RAW was still continuing negotiations with the Tamil Tiger leader Parabhakran in contravention to the Indian government's foreign policy. According to R Swaminathan, (former Special Secretary of RAW) it was this outfit which was used as the intermediary between Rajib Gandhi and Tamil leader Parabhakaran. The former Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, J.N. Dixit even accused RAW of having given Rs. five corore to the LTTE. At a later stage, RAW built up the EPRLF and ENDLF to fight against the LTTE which turned the situation in Sri Lanka highly volatile and uncertain later on.

Maldives

Under a well-orchestrated RAW plan, on November 30 1988 a 300 to 400-strong well trained force of mercenaries, armed with automatic weapons, initially said to be of unknown origin, infiltrated in boats and stormed the capital of Maldives. They resorted to indiscriminate shooting and took high-level government officials as hostages. At the Presidential Palace, the small contingent of loyal national guards offered stiff resistance, which enabled President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to shift to a safe place from where he issued urgent appeals for help from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Britain and the United States.

The Indian Prime Ministe Rajiv Gandhi reacted promptly and about 1600 combat troops belonging to 50 Independent Para-Brigade in conjunction with Indian Naval units landed at Male under the code-name Operation Cactus. A number of IAF transport aircraft, escorted by fighters, were used for landing personnel, heavy equipment and supplies. Within hours of landing, the Indian troops flushed out the attackers form the streets and hideouts. Some of them surrendered to Indian troops, and many were captured by Indian Naval units while trying to escape along with their hostages in a Maldivian ship, Progress Light. Most of the 30 hostages including Ahmed Majtaba, Maldives Minister of Transport, were released. The Indian Government announced the success of the Operation Cactus and complimented the armed forces for a good job done.

The Indian Defense Minister while addressing IAF personnel at Bangalore claimed that the country's prestige has gone high because of the peace-keeping role played by the Indian forces in Maldives. The International Community in general and the South Asian states in particular, however, viewed with suspicious the over-all concept and motives of the operation. The western media described it as a display of newly-acquired military muscle by India and its growing role as a regional police. Although the apparent identification of the two Maldivian nationals could be a sufficient reason, at its face value, to link it with the previous such attempts by the mercenaries, yet other converging factors, indicative of involvement of external hand, could hardly be ignored.

Sailing of the mercenaries from Manar and Kankasanturai in Sri Lanka, which were in complete control of IPKF, and the timing and speed of the Indian intervention proved their involvement beyond any doubt.

Nepal

Ever since the partition of the sub-continent India has been openly meddling in Nepal's internal affairs by contriving internal strife and conflicts through RAW to destabilize the successive legitimate governments and prop up puppet regimes which would be more amenable Indian machinations. Armed insurrections were sponsored and abetted by RAW and later requests for military assistance to control these were managed through pro-India leaders. India has been aiding and inciting the Nepalese dissidents to collaborate with the Nepali Congress. For this they were supplied arms whenever the King or the Nepalese Government appeared to be drifting away from the Indian dictates and impinging on Indian hegemonic designs in the region. In fact, under the garb of the so-called democratization measures, the Maoists were actively encouraged to collect arms to resort to open rebellion against the legitimate Nepalese governments. The contrived rebellions provided India an opportunity to intervene militarily in Nepal, ostensibly to control the insurrections which were masterminded by the RAW itself. It was an active replay of the Indian performance in Sri Lanka and Maldives a few years earlier. RAW is particularly aiding the people of the Indian-origin and has been providing them with arms and ammunition. RAW has also infiltrated the ethnic Nepali refugees who have been extradited by Bhutan and have taken refuge in the eastern Nepal. RAW can exploit its links with these refugees in either that are against the Indian interest. Besides the Nepalese economy is totally controlled by the Indian money lenders, financiers and business mafia ( RAW's Machination In South Asia by Shastra Dutta Pant, Kathmandu, 2003).

Afghanistan

Since December 1979, throughout Afghan War, KGB, KHAD (WAD) (former Afghan intelligence outfit) and RAW stepped up their efforts to concentrate on influencing and covert exploitation of the tribes on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. There was intimate co-ordination between the three intelligence agencies not only in Afghanistan but in destabilization of Pakistan through subversion and sabotage plan related to Afghan refugees and mujahideen, the tribal belt and inside Pakistan. They jointly organized spotting and recruitment of hostile tribesmen and their training in guerrilla warfare, infiltration, subversion, sabotage and establishment of saboteur force/terrorist organizations in the pro-Afghan tribes of Pakistan in order to carry out bomb explosions in Afghan refugee camps in NWFP and Baluchistan to threaten and pressurize them to return to Afghanistan. They also carried out bomb blasts in populated areas deep inside Pakistan to create panic and hatred in the minds of locals against Afghan refugee mujahideen for pressurizing Pakistan to change its policies on Afghanistan.

Pakistan

Pakistan's size, strength and potential have always overawed the Indians. It, therefore, always considers her main opponent in her expansionist doctrine. India's animosity towards Pakistan is psychologically and ideologically deep-rooted and unassailable. India's war with Pakistan in 1965 over Kashmir and in 1971 which resulted in the dismemberment of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh are just two examples.

Raw considers Sindh as Pakistan's soft under-belly. It has, therefore, made it the prime target for sabotage and subversion. RAW has enrolled and extensive network of agents and anti-government elements, and is convinced that with a little push restless Sindh will revolt. Taking fullest advantage of the agitation in Sindh in 1983 and the ethnic riots, which have continued till today, RAW has deeply penetrated and cultivated dissidents and secessionists, thereby creating hard-liners unlikely to allow peace to return to Sindh. Raw is also involved similarly in Balochistan.

RAW is also being blamed for confusing the ground situation is Kashmir so as to keep the world attention away from the gross human rights violations by India in India occupied Kashmir. ISI being almost 20 years older than RAW and having acquired much higher standard of efficiency in its functioning , has become the prime target of RAW's designs, ISI is considered to be a stumbling block in RAW's operations, and has, therefore, been made a target of all kinds of massive misinformation and propaganda campaign. The tirade against ISI continues unabated. The idea is to keep ISI on the defensive by fictionalising and alleging its hand is supporting Kashmiri Mujahideen and Sikhs in Punjab. RAW'S fixation against ISI has taken the shape of ISI-phobia, as in India everyone traces down the origin of all happenings and shortcomings to the ISI . Be it an abduction at Banglaore or a student's kidnapping at Cochin, be it a bank robbery at Calcutta or a financial scandal in Bombay, be it a bomb blast at Bombay or Bangladesh, they find an ISI hand in it ( RAW :Global and Regional Ambitions" Edited by Rashid Ahmad Khan and Muhammad Saleem, Published by Islamabad Policy Research Institute, Asia Printers, slamabad, 2005).

RAW over the years has admirably fulfilled its tasks of destabilising target states through unbridled export of terrorism. The India Doctrine spelt out a difficult and onerous role for RAW. It goes to its credit that it has accomplished its assigned objectives due to the endemic weakness in the state apparatus of those nations and failure of their leaders.

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February 15, 2007 By Isha Khan

© 2007 Isha Khan