Soft Target (book)

Infobox Book
name = Soft Target: How the Indian Intelligence Service Penetrated Canada
title_orig =


image_caption = Cover page.
author = Zuhair Kashmeri & Brian McAndrew
cover_artist =
country = Canada
language = English
series =
subject =
genre = Investigative Journalism, Espionage, Canadian Sikhs, Canadian History
publisher = flagicon|Canada [http://www.formac.ca/lorimer/lorimer.html James Lorimer & Company]
release_date = 1989 and reprint in 2005
english_release_date =
media_type = Print Paperback & Cloth
pages = 162
isbn = 1-55028-221-1 (Paperback 1989) & 1550289047 (2005)
preceded_by =
followed_by = Reprint in 2005

Soft Target: "How the Indian Intelligence Service Penetrated Canada" is a speculative journalism work in the form of a book written by two Canadian reporters Zuhair Kashmeri (from "Globe and Mail") & Brian McAndrew (from "Toronto Star"). The authors define Soft Target as "an espionage term used for any country, institution or group of people very easy to penetrate and manipulate for subversive purposes "cite book | last =Zuhair | first =Kashmeri |coauthors=McAndrew, Brian | title =Soft Target: How the Indian Intelligence Service Penetrated Canada | publisher = James Lorimer & Company | year =1989 | isbn=1-55028-221-1] and argue that the Canadian Sikh community was a "Soft Target" of a covert operation by the Indian government during the 1980s. The book also makes a bold claim that Indian intelligence agencies not only penetrated the Sikh community in order to discredit them world wide and halt the momentum of the demand of an independent Sikhs state, but also manipulated the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

Book organization

The 1989 edition is partitioned into 10 chapters. The authors claim that though the book is written in the form of a spy-thriller, and that all the facts and documentation is real. (reference needs to be drawn from a book review, not the book itself). The above claim puts in place a conspiracy theory not unlike that accusing the Bush administration of masterminding the 9/11 attack.

Reprint of 2005

The book was republished in the acquittal year of the 2 accused in the case due to absence of evidence although a third accomplice, Inderjit Singh Reyat pleaded guilty [cite web|title=2 although acquitted of the Air India Bombings (CBC News Canada)|url=http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/03/16/air-india-advance050316.html |accessdate=2007-12-18] .

Discussion

The authors present their views on the AI Flight 182 disaster in this book. While the book is written in a spy thriller fashion spinning a fantastic tale about the Indian government going to extraordinary lengths to assassinate 329 people on board the flight and implicate merely two or three Sikh extremists as a means to discredit the entire Sikh community living outside India, the book doesn't take several factors into consideration, given that it was republished in 2005. 307 of the 329 killed were individuals of Indian origin although only 22 were Indian nationals (http://www.airdisaster.com/special/special-ai182.shtml). The conclusions drawn by the authors largely sideline the important fact that I.S. Reyat confessed to Canadian officials as to his role as the bomb maker. T. S. Hayer reported to the RCMP about being a witness to a conversation between the man accused in the bombing (Bagri) and a Sikh newspaper publisher in which Bagri describes his plan for the plane bombing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_India_Flight_182). Both the Sikh publisher and Hayer were subsequently murdered. Jim Bartleman, the then head of the intelligence analysis and security branch of the Canadian department of external affairs stated in a testimony that the RCMP totally neglected his warning of an intelligence report hinting at the June 23 bombing of flight 182 (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/05/03/bartleman-airindia.html). The testimony also tells about an alleged bomb test prior to the actual bombing which the CSIS failed to investigate in time. CSIS's failure was demonstrated in court when the taped conversations between the accused were allegedly burned. It is conceivable that these unprofessional and careless acts led to the theory that the Indian government's spy network was manipulating the investigation. However in the 1980s, the world opinion was largely anti-Indian, on account of ties between New Delhi and Moscow which undermines the theory that Indian 'spys' had infiltrated and manipulated the RCMP and CSIS. The inactions of RCMP and CSIS eventually led to the aquittal of the main accused, except Reyat who had previously confessed to building the bomb which brought down flight 182. One other accused, Lakhbir Singh Brar Rode was associated with the air disaster, but enjoys safe haven in Pakistan. Brar is the nephew of Bhindranwale, the instigator of the separatist movement which led to the Sikh crisis in India.All the above factors blow serious holes in the conspiracy theory blaming India for the bombing of flight 182 and potraying Bagri and Malik as innocent victims. Parmar died in India in an armed confrontation with the police. Bagri and Malik were acquitted due to negligence of the CSIS and RCMP in evaluating and keeping evidence. Reyat served a 5-year sentence and was released early in 2008. On account of its content, which victimizes Sikhs, the book may be a unintended source of continued bad blood between the Sikhs living abroad and the Indian Government in the matter regarding Khalistan. It may be noted that contemporary Sikh culture in India is wholly integrated within the Indian main stream culture.

Reviews, criticism and praises

I.J. Singh from the editorial advisory board of 'The Sikh Review', Calcutta and 'The Encyclopedia of Sikhism', Punjabi University, Patiala reviews the book as "A gripping tale, cleverly told with clarity and brevity, Soft Target, delves into areas where solid proof is often elusive and evidence rarely follows a straight path".There are many other critics mostly from Canada and India points out that this book is a well written propaganda of Sikh terrorism (needs reference). Indian government have banned the book (needs reference).

References to the book

* International Bibliography of Sikh Studies By Rajwant Singh Chilana pp 455
* Assessing Canadian Intelligence Literature: 1980-2000 GEOFFREY R WELLER - 2001 - International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence

References

ee also

# Inderjit Singh Reyat