The Sultan and the Spy: Dulat Declares Dr. Farooq Greater Than Sheikh, Dispels 370 Conspiracy in Explosive Memoir.
||Black and White Digital News||
||Tejveer Singh April 19,2025 ||
New Delhi : A tempest has stirred the political waters of Kashmir and New Delhi alike with the launch of former RAW chief Amar Singh Dulat’s bombshell memoir, “The Chief Minister and The Spy”, unveiled in the capital on Friday. But beyond the twisting allegations and swirling speculation, Dulat has presented a resolute defense of National Conference patriarch Dr. Farooq Abdullah, calling him “the tallest leader of Kashmir, and among the world’s tallest.”
As a packed Delhi audience listened intently, Dulat made it clear that the media frenzy around the book had pivoted on a deliberate misreading. “Few have actually read the book,” Dulat said with evident frustration. “Someone cherry-picked a paragraph from page 208 and twisted it – English is a difficult language,” he quipped, disarming the crowd.
“This book isn’t about that paragraph. Read what comes before and after. The story is about a great man – Dr. Farooq Abdullah. He’s a legend. That won’t change,” he declared.
The spotlight on Dr. Abdullah’s alleged complicity or foreknowledge regarding the 2019 abrogation of Article 370—a constitutional safeguard long cherished by Kashmiris
has been glaring. However, Dulat dismissed these claims outright. “I don’t know what transpired,” he stated candidly. “I asked Dr. Saheb, I asked Omar. Both said they were told nothing at all. Even while writing this book, I asked again—same response.”
“It’s rubbish—what people are saying now. There was not a single Kashmiri who supported the abrogation. Even many Indians opposed it. I did. So did Chidambaram, who called it a ‘monumental blunder’ in Parliament,” Dulat noted.
His observations underscore a key sentiment lingering in Kashmir: though the Supreme Court has since upheld the revocation, a profound sense of betrayal and grief persists. “Kashmiris may have accepted that 370 is not coming back, but they are still willing to fight for it,” Dulat emphasized.
A Chilling Recollection:
The memoir takes a deeply personal turn when Dulat recalls a February 2020 meeting with Dr. Abdullah, then recently released from detention. “He couldn’t understand why, after being with India all his life—his family, his father, everybody—they had to lock him up. That was the crux of it. He said, ‘If they had to do this, why couldn’t they take us into confidence?’” Dulat recounted.
Media, Misinterpretation, and Manipulation:
Dulat held the media partly responsible for the controversy. “The Hindustan Times story wrecked everything. It rattled everyone, and I think it probably shook Dr. Saheb too. I don’t know who was responsible, but someone clearly started this deliberately.”
From Spy to Son of the Soil:
Reflecting on his personal journey, Dulat shared how Kashmir became the defining chapter of his life. “In 1988, I thought Kashmir was a holiday posting. By 1989, bombs were exploding. That winter, we lost four officers in weeks. Jagmohan had me removed, saying I was ‘Farooq’s man.’ But Kashmir never left me.”
He named three key figures who engineered his exit: Jagmohan, Mufti Sayeed, and Arun Nehru—men he believes worked in tandem to sideline him.
Unmasking the Insurgency and Exodus:
On the insurgency’s origins, Dulat admitted: “We wasted a chance in 1989-90. The JKLF boys didn’t even understand ‘azadi.’ Pakistan’s ISI took advantage—General Durrani told me even they were shocked at how rapidly militancy spread.”
Regarding the tragic exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, he offered a nuanced perspective. “I was there when it started. A prominent Kashmiri Pandit came to me, terrified, saying, ‘We have to go.’ After Judge Ganju’s killing on Hari Singh High Street, fear ruled the Valley.”
Dulat, however, absolved then-Governor Jagmohan of direct responsibility. “He wasn’t responsible for the exodus, but he was happy with it. If Pandits had stayed, more would’ve been killed, and he’d have been blamed.”
Kandahar Crisis and a Dramatic Resignation Threat:
Rewinding to 1999, during the infamous Kandahar hijacking, Dulat revealed a stunning episode. “Dr. Farooq theatrically threatened to resign when Delhi demanded prisoner releases. We rushed to Governor Saxena at 10 PM—he served Black Label and told Dr. Farooq, ‘You’re a big man, don’t resign.’ Dr. Farooq relented.”
Farooq vs Sheikh: A Controversial Comparison:
In a statement bound to ignite political discourse, Dulat dared to compare Farooq Abdullah favorably against his legendary father, Sheikh Abdullah.
“He is a man of powerful political instincts. He endured jail, betrayal, and isolation. I’ve written it, he’s the Sultan of Politics. History will judge Farooq greater than Sheikh. Yes, Sheikh spent 13 years in jail—but he had Gandhi and Nehru on his side. When he was released, he was the Prime Minister’s guest in Delhi. Would that happen today?”
The Chief Minister and The Spy is not just a tale of espionage or power—it is a reflection of memory, loyalty, betrayal, and the unresolved questions of Kashmir’s heartache. Dulat’s tribute may be controversial, but it also offers a searing, personal glimpse into the mind of a man who, through the fog of politics and propaganda, still sees Farooq Abdullah as the indomitable colossus of Kashmir.
