By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Writer and consulting editor of The New Indian Express group Ravi Shankar Etteth blamed previous Prime Ministers Morarji Desai and I K Gujral for destroying the intelligence services of the country.

Earlier, intelligence services in India were extremely efficient and had countered every move of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). However, the decision of I K Gujral which forbade Indian agencies from undertaking covert operations in Pakistan destroyed the agency. "Since then, however, the agencies have recovered their strength and efficiency," he said.

He was speaking at the Bengaluru Literature Festival on his book—The Brahmin.

Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) official Ravi Joshi, commenting on the assassination of Saudi Arabia journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said that the whole incident was a botched-up operation. Saying that it was idiocy to kill a person inside the embassy, he said that only Arabs can be expected to botch up in such a manner.

He explained how the spy world changed after 9/11. "Following the terror attack, the United States compelled every ally to work with them in their 'war on terror'," he said. "As a result, agencies such as CIA of USA, MI6 of England, Mossad of Israel and RAW started working together," he said. Despite the improved relationship between various spy agencies of the world, CIA and ISI remained in cahoots, he added.