Viral Photo Shows Manmohan Singh at Launch of ‘The Spy Chronicles’ Co-Authored by Former RAW and ISI Chiefs in 2018

• Harshavardhan Konda

A photo (here, here & here) of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Vice President Hamid Ansari, along with other leaders holding a book, is being widely shared on social media with the claim that it shows Manmohan Singh and Hamid Ansari releasing a book written by the former head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Asad Durrani, in Delhi in May 2018. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.

Claim: A photo of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and others launching a book in Delhi in 2018, written by former ISI chief Asad Durrani.

Fact: The viral photo is from the launch of the book The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, co-authored by former RAW chief A.S. Dulat, former ISI chief Asad Durrani, and Indian journalist Aditya Sinha. The event took place on 23 May 2018 in New Delhi, and Asad Durrani did not attend, as he was denied an Indian visa. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.

A reverse image search of the viral photo led us to the same image shared by the book publishing company HarperCollins and several media outlets (here & here) on 23 May 2018. According to these sources, the photo was taken at the launch event of the book titled The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, which was co-authored by the former chief of India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), A.S. Dulat, Indian journalist Aditya Sinha, and former ISI chief Asad Durrani.

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Dr.Farooq Abdulla, Dr.Manmohan Singh and Shri.Hamid Ansari release #TheSpyChronicles by A.S. Dulat,Asad Durrani and Aditya Sinha @autumnshade in the presence of @YashwantSinha,@KapilSibal,Mr.Shiv Shankar Menon,Mr K.M Singh and @BDUTT. pic.twitter.com/IuitAl7X3x

— HarperCollins (@HarperCollinsIN) May 23, 2018

The book was released by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, former National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Kapil Sibal, among others, in New Delhi on 23 May 2018. Reportedly, Asad Durrani missed the event, as he did not receive an Indian visa.

The book is a series of dialogues, mediated by journalist Aditya Sinha, between A.S. Dulat and Asad Durrani that took place in Istanbul, Bangkok, and Kathmandu in 2016. It discusses various topics such as India-Pakistan relations, Kashmir, terrorism, intelligence operations, political leadership, and more. Shortly after the book’s release, the Pakistani Army ordered a court of inquiry against Asad Durrani and recommended that his name be added to the Exit Control List (ECL) to prevent him from leaving the country.

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Lt Gen Asad Durrani, Retired was called at GHQ today to explain his position on recently launched book ‘Spy Chronicles’. A formal Court of Inquiry headed by a serving Lt Gen has been ordered to probe the matter in detail. Competent authority approached to place his name on ECL.

— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) May 28, 2018

To sum up, the viral photo shows Manmohan Singh at the launch of a book co-authored by former RAW chief A.S. Dulat, former ISI chief Asad Durrani, and Indian journalist Aditya Sinha, not a solo book by Durrani.