Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will bail out Pakistan, the western neighbour which has been facing a deep economic crisis for the last several months, feels Amarjit Singh Dulat, former chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's foreign intelligence agency.
Speaking to the Press Trust of India, Dulat, 82, said every time is the best time to talk to Pakistan. "We need to keep our neighbours engaged," he said.
He added that it is imperative to keep the talks open with "a little more public engagement".
The former RAW chief, who served in 1999-2000, said he had a hunch that Modi will bail out Pakistan. "No inside information, but it is my hunch," the veteran said.
During his service as the RAW chief, Dulat is believed to have run a number of deep intelligence operations in Pakistan, which has a rough relation with India.
Pakistan is currently facing an unprecedented economic crisis, forcing the country to look out for exit routes. Islamabad recently had a tough negotiation with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package.
According to many analysts, Pakistan’s way of dealing with similar crises in the past when it “leveraged its geo-political position and extracted rent from global partners” is not working any more and hence it may now be more open to talk peace and trade with India.
Dulat, however, said engagement with Pakistan has always been “influenced by domestic politics”.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters gather at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 24, 2026 during the ongoing protest to demand the resignation of India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET exam irregularities. Leaders of India's youth-led "Cockroach" movement said they would meet the government on July 24 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged legal reforms and swift punishment for those involved in exam paper leaks. Getty Images