Clipping Pakistan Spy Agency’s Wings?
An important news has come from Pakistan. “Pakistan’s notorious ISI spy agency, a mainstay of the military’s domination of the nation’s politics, was last night placed under civilian control for the first time since it was founded in 1948, reports The Australian.
“A brief announcement from the Prime Minister’s office said the ISI and the country’s other principal security agency, the Intelligence Bureau, would immediately be placed under the administrative, financial and operational control of the Interior Ministry, headed by one of Benazir Bhutto’s most trusted advisers, Rehman Malik.
“Under the country’s most recent military dictators – Mr Musharraf and, previously, General Mohammed Zia ul-Haq – it played a critical political strategic role, double-dealing with the likes of al-Qa’ida and the Taliban. It stands accused of dirty tricks and involvement in terrorism across the region, most recently the massive bomb blast two weeks ago that destroyed the Indian embassy in Kabul.
“Only last week, India’s National Security Adviser, MK Narayanan, demanded the ISI be ‘destroyed’. (See my earlier post…here)
” ‘It’s one thing to sign a piece of paper saying that the ISI is henceforth under the control of Rehman Malik, another for Rehman Malik to actually exert effective control’, one senior diplomat in Islamabad said.”
