There is “no doubt” about the existence of intelligence operations of Five Eyes (FVEY) intelligence-sharing network in India, according to defense experts.
The FVEY is an intelligence-sharing network among the Anglo-Saxon nations—Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States.
The controversial Australia-United States Joint Defence Facility at Pine Gap near Alice Springs in the heart of Australia is known to be the hub of FVEY operations.
“There is no doubt that the ‘Five Eyes’ countries indulge in this as indeed our adversaries, be that China or Pakistan,” Brigadier (retired) Arun Sahgal, the Executive Director of the Forum for Strategic Initiative, a policy think-tank focusing on national security, diplomacy and Track II Dialogue, told Sputnik India.
The Indian defense expert noted that “basic intelligence-sharing” between allies and partners was more or less a given practise across the world,
Sahgal underscored the point that the “capability to breach any encrypted space” existed and that Indian airwaves weren’t an “exception” to the global norm.
The Indian think-tanker however remained unsure of whether such a breach has been taking place in India in recent years due to inadequate information being available in public domain.
“There is anecdotal evidence available about the activities of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in India,” he added.
American diplomatic cables dating back to the 1970s, leaked by Wikileaks in 2013, have claimed gathering information about former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from “a source in the PM's household entourage".
The US cables point to the extensive nature of American spy operations in India at the time, including on India’s foreign relations as well as its domestic politics.
As far as the FVEY operations are concerned, a massive leak by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013 claimed that the five countries weren’t only spying on foreign governments but also on their own citizens.
However, no recent record is publicly available to determine the current nature or extent of western intelligence operations in India.
Is the US Spying on India?
The debate over western intelligence operations in India has dominated Indian media discourse in recent weeks, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his Parliament that Indian government “agents” were linked to the death of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist who was a designated terrorist in India.
Subsequently, Canadian state media reported that the proof linking India to Nijjar’s death was supplied to Canada by a FVEY ally, probably the US.
Canada is yet to share any concrete evidence with India on the matter, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
However, Trudeau’s unfounded allegations against India have led to a major diplomatic row, which peaked this month after New Delhi demanded the withdrawal of 41 Canadian diplomats from the country for their “interference” in India’s internal matters.
An op-ed in Indian media by veteran diplomat MK Bhadrakumar stated that the US has possibly been involved in spying operations in India through its Anglo-Saxon allies, particularly Canada.
Bhadrakumar warned that Five Eyes operations in India have assumed a “subversive character”.
US Has an ‘Extensive Interest’ in India, Says Expert
Veteran defense expert Qamar Agha told Sputnik India that the US is bound to have an “extensive interest” in India due to its critical status as a major American partner in Indo-Pacific.
India has been described as a key partner to contain China in policy documents of successive American administrations, including in Biden adminitsration’s National Security Strategy (NSS) released last October.
Agha noted that besides snooping on digital and encrypted communication, human intelligence gathered through “moles” remained a fad in the global community.
He explained that US’ interest in India could be multi-fold, including in New Delhi’s defense dealings, its economic policy as well as its relations with Russia.
“I don’t think that there would be any country on the earth where the CIA doesn’t maintain a presence. I believe that the CIA activities in India have only grown in recent years,” opined Agha.
He noted that the India-Russia strategic and economic partnership was a subject of great interest for the US.
“The US is known to have an interest in India-Russia defense deals. The American companies also see India as a big market and want to expand their presence here,” Agha pointed out.
The Indian expert also noted that the US has been keeping track on China’s growing influence across the world.
“It is quite plausible that the CIA is carefully monitoring China’s influence in south Asian nations as part of its global efforts to contain China. It is quite plausible that India may be acting as a hub for the CIA operations in the region,” Agha remarked.