New Delhi, June 18 :     The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) ? the country?s external intelligence agency ? should have been busy collecting inputs for the undeclared war in Kargil. Instead, it is busy with its own fierce turf-war among its top brass. A section of senior operatives have closed ranks to oust the chief-in-waiting, A.S. Dulat, and even drafted a chargesheet against him. The war for plum posts in RAW began in April this year soon after the Centre shifted Dulat from special director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to special secretary in RAW. The move was essentially aimed at making Dulat the RAW chief once outgoing secretary Arvind Dave?s tenure expired on April 30 after a one-year extension. Efforts to corner Dulat, a 1965-batch IPS officer, by officers belonging to the Research and Analysis Service (RAS) began soon after. Dulat had taken over the post following the shifting of Shanti Bhushan Jain as secretary (security). Insiders said that a few days before Dave?s extended tenure ended, the second special secretary in the organisation, R.Nagarajan, a 1965-batch Indian Information Service officer, prepared a 30-page note with annexures on Dulat?s ?background? and sent it to Prime Minister A.B.Vajpayee. The note, among other things, alleged that Dulat had ?foreign links? because some of his close relatives owned a hotel and ran businesses in a West Asian city, thereby implying that he was not fit to take charge of RAW. Dulat?s chances of becoming RAW chief now appear bleak with sources pointing out that the Prime Minister?s Office (PMO) has not been able to ?totally? ignore some of the allegations. The sources said the contents of the note, which do not seem to have been verified, forced the Centre to rethink and give Dave another three-month extension which will expire on July 31. RAW insiders, however, describe the stand-off as another case of rivalry between the IPS and RAS lobbies. Nagarajan feels he deserves to be RAW chief because he is senior to Dulat. His allegation is that Dulat is an ?outsider? to RAW. But sources said the government can appoint any senior official from any department as RAW chief. An expert on Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir with several years of experience in the field of counter-intelligence, Dulat has been ?sidelined? and his position ?undermined?. The other battle within RAW is being fought between two additional secretaries, each vying for the post of special secretary which would be vacated if Dulat becomes RAW chief. The officers are R.S. Bedi and S. Sunderrajan. Government sources and RAW insiders told The Telegraph that Bedi is being favoured to Sunderrajan, who is the senior of the two. Sources said that Dave is trying to promote Bedi by ?superseding? Sunderrajan, who heads the China desk. The Bedi-Sunderrajan rivalry has affected intelligence gathering, especially in the context of Pakistan?s defence build-up and the susbsequent breach of Kargil. Bedi, nicknamed Billy, heads the Pakistan desk as well as the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), which is responsible for clandestine aerial reconnaissance and electronic intelligence along the international border and over Pakistani air space. ?Promoting his career and not national security interests became more important to him,? a RAW insider said. Government sources, both military and civil, said RAW operatives in Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir failed to report well in advance to the government news of Pakistan?s plans of pushing extremists into Drass and Batalik. Sources now say that the Paksitani army had drawn up a blueprint to destabilise the security in the Kargil sector as far back as February and March. Despite having considerable presence in the areas along the Line of Control (LoC), neither RAW operatives nor the ARC could report on the deep inroads the ?armed intruders? made into Indian territory early in May. The RAW desk also failed to report to the PMO exactly where the two Indian fighter jets were brought down by Pakistan. Informed sources said the IB verified that at least one of two aircraft ? the MiG-27 ? had indeed been shot down within Pakistan-held territory. The IB?s efforts also helped authorities to locate the remains of the fighter.