Operation ‘Fox-Hunt’ (25 page)

Brigadier Hasan and Colonel Khan had to be buried in a common grave. Their bodies and those of ten others at the traffic junction were unrecognisable.

In Balochistan, a tribal leader shook hands and congratulated his Indian friend. Colonel Khan’s men had been responsible for shooting his 18-year-old son after kidnapping him in the dead of the night. He had seen the video. The revenge was his; the Indian had supplied the right information.

Secretary-R read the report next morning and called the NSA, “Foxhunt over and wolves skinned alive.”

Sanjay crossed over to Afghanistan the next morning. A waiting car and escort took him to Kandahar. It was good to meet the Balochs again. He thought they were much like him− fierce, secretive, clannish and loyal. But like the Fox and himself, they too were just pawns in the new Great Game which was enveloping this ancient land. He thought of Major Shezad, a gallant officer and a good son sacrificed at an altar of ambition. Surely Shezad had a bright and glittering military career, but in the end he was just a pawn, a move. Sanjay had no illusions, this was not the first attack planned in the power centres in Rawalpindi, and it wouldn’t be the last. “Fox or Tiger, or any fancy names we call ourselves or each other, finally, we are all pawns,” he thought as he smiled to himself.

Glossary

          
ADC: Aide de Camp, a military assistant, usually of junior officer rank

          
AFI-I: Directorate of Air Force Intelligence, Indian Air Force intelligence

          
AHQ: Army Headquarters, Indian Army, New Delhi

          
ANA: Afghan National Army, the internationally recognised military arm of the Afghan government

          
ARC: Aviation Research Centre, the aviation arm of RAW

          
BSF: Border Security Force

          
BSF DIG: Deputy Inspector General, BSF

          
CCS: Cabinet Committee on Security

          
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency

          
CID: Criminal Investigation Division

          
CISF: Central Industrial Security Force

          
CO: Commanding Officer

          
CRPF: Central Reserve Police Force,

          
DAGO: Directly Appointed Gazetted Officer

          
DGMO: Director General of Military Operations,

          
DGP: Director General of Police

          
DG-Security: Director General-Security

          
DIA: Defense Intelligence Agency, USA

          
DSG: Defense Service Guards

          
F1: Force One special response unit of the Mumbai Police

          
FANA: Federally Administered Northern Areas

          
FATA: Federally Administered Tribal Areas

          
FC: Frontier Corps: Paramilitary force officered by Pakistani army deployed along the Af-Pak border and involved in anti-insurgency operations in Balochistan

          
Garud: Indian Air Force commando unit

          
GHQ: General Headquarters, Pakistan Army, Rawalpindi

          
HUJI: Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami

          
IB: Intelligence Bureau

          
IGI: Indira Gandhi International Airport

          
IPS: Indian Police Service

          
ISI: Inter Services Intelligence, Pakistani intelligence

          
ISRO: Indian Space Research Organisation

          
ITBP: Indo-Tibetan Border Police

          
JCP: Joint Commissioner of Police

          
JEM: Jaish-E-Mohammad, terrorist group affiliated to the ISI

          
JuD: Jammat-Ud-Dawa

          
LET: Lashkar-E-Toiba, terrorist group affiliated to the ISI

          
LOC: Line of Control

          
MEA: Ministry of External Affairs

          
MI: Military Intelligence of the Indian Army

          
MHA: Ministry of Home Affairs

          
MOSSAD: Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations is the national intelligence agency of Israel

          
MPV: Mine Protected Vehicle

          
MS: Military Secretary

          
NA: Northern Alliance

          
NDA: National Defence Academy

          
NDS: National Directorate of Security

          
NIA: National Investigation Agency

          
NLI: Northern Light Infantry

          
NSA: National Security Adviser, Government of India

          
NSC: National Security Council

          
NSG: National Security Guard

          
NWFP: North West Frontier Province

          
PAF: Pakistan Air Force

          
PDP: People’s Democratic Party

          
PMA: Pakistani Military Academy

          
POK: Pakistan Occupied Kashmir

          
QRT: Quick Reaction Team

          
RAB: Rapid Action Battalion

          
RAW: Research and Analysis Wing

          
ROP: Road Opening Party

          
RR: Rashtriya Rifles

          
SAG: Special Action Group

          
SG: Special Group, commando unit of the SFF directly controlled by RAW

          
SFF: Special Frontier Force

          
SM: Subedar Major/Sergeant Major

          
SOG: Special Operations Group

          
SPG: Special Protection Group

          
SRG: Special Rangers Group

          
SSF: Special Security Force of Bangladesh, security service in charge of protection and monitoring
threats to VVIPs including the Prime Minister

          
SSG: Special Service Group, special force of the Pakistani Army

          
SSW: Special Service Wing, special force of the Pakistani Air Force

          
SWADS: Special Warfare Diving and Salvage