(NG): But you do make friends?

(VS): We make friends, yes.

(NG): Yes?

(VS): We do. After all, you find the Army generals of India and Pakistan quite chummy at times. Hamaare yahaan bhi aisa hi hota hai (It’s the same with us in the spy agencies).

(NG): Does it also involve conflict of interest, too, then?

(VS): Of course. There is conflict of interest also.

(NG): How does one overcome that?

(VS): You either break the relationship or side-step. Or you tell him, “No more! This, I won’t do”.

(NG): Anything that goes wrong in Pakistan and the first thing is: R&AW has done this.

(VS): Yes. That’s nice. I like it. It’s part of the game. How you want to portray the enemy. So, I think a larger-than-life image is good.

(NG): It works very well?

(VS): Hmm…

(NG): We are very curious to know the kind of relationship that you have in a third country.

(VS): Actually it’s quite a normal existence. If you get to know he’s from the other agency, it’s alright. We don’t run away from each other.

(NG): But how do you get to know that? They don’t wear a red shirt, how do you figure that out?

(VS): Pata chal jata hai. (We get to know.) If a man is seen at all functions, wherever you go, same guy! He has to be an intelligence operative.