Author: S. Ammar
Published: 27th July, 2008

The Inter Services Intelligence agency of Pakistan, the ISI, through a notification issued by the cabinet division was put under the direct control of the Ministry of Interior Affairs. This was done on the 26th of July, sometime in the evening. The notification issued also put the IB under the administrative, financial and operational control of the interior ministry. The ISI has worked under the control of the chief executive (Prime Minister) of the country in the past through the Ministry of Defense.

The nation observed this news with silence at first and from then on the reactions have been mixed, with a large majority opposing the decision. But it is not what the people think that counts.

The ISI, in essence is not an agency dealing with security threats ‘inside’ Pakistan. It is and it has always been Pakistan‘s first line of defense, and we as Pakistani nationalists owe a lot to it. The ISI also deals with external threats to Pakistan, so putting it under the direct control of the interior ministry was absolutely unjustified.

We all now have the understanding that the People’s Party at present is working pretty much on American directives. It is also a possibility that Benazir Bhutto might have been assassinated by foreign elements for ‘deviating‘ from what she had promised to the international community. But that is an entirely different debate.

On October 26 last year, hardly a week after her return to Pakistan the former premier and chief of the PPP had called for a complete restructuring of the ISI:

PPP chief calls for restructuring of ISI

KARACHI, Oct 26: Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto on Friday called for concerted efforts to eradicate terrorism and extremism.

Talking to newsmen at Bilawal House, she demanded restructuring of the Inter-Services Intelligence and said that it was the responsibility of the government to discourage elements who had used their powers for vested interests and promoted religious extremism.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/10/27/top9.htm

It might be reasonable to believe that Mohtarma might not have implemented what she said; she was too intelligent to commit a mistake such as this. But her assassination allowed for a ‘hijack’ of her political party (in Makhdoom Amin Fahim’s words).

The ISI is a very sound, professional and strong intelligence agency capable of pulling off miracles for the safety, security and integrity of Pakistan. The United States and its ‘real’ allies in Israel and India have remained perplexed at the ISI’s ability to counter their threats amicably.

The ISI has often been dubbed as a ‘state within a state’ or a ‘parallel government’ in Pakistan, but believe me, had it not been for the ISI our corrupt politicians would have sold out every inch of our land and every remaining bit of our sovereignty and dignity as a nation. The ISI has maintained a strong check on these politicians who have plundered with national wealth over the past several decades.

How has this check helped? They have not been able to accept the heavy amounts anti-Pakistan elements must have been willing to offer.

The timing of this unjustified decision is important: What could the motive be behind announcing such a critical decision when the top government representatives had already left Pakistan and were en-route to the United States of America?

It was a gift, wrapped with a lot of loyalty by our politicians, to the United States of America.

The fun then began as the government proved to the masses that it is clumsier than what most people considered it to be. Notification after notification followed and the ISI was placed back under the control of the chief executive of the country, the Prime Minister, like it always has been.

The excuse made was a ‘misunderstanding’ or ‘misinterpretation’ of the first notification. The press information division claimed that only the IB had been placed under the interior division, however, the notice issued earlier had clearly mentioned in straightforward words that the administrative, financial and operational control of the ISI and the IB both were being put under the interior division.

Former DG ISI, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Hameed Gul said that putting the ISI under the interior division should never even be thought of.

I would agree to Mr. Hameed Gul that indeed a conspiracy to weaken Pakistan’s defense system has been thwarted by taking back the decision.

In an interesting twist, the advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik said that he was absolutely unaware of any such decision or notification.

Concluding my analysis, this decision appears to be based on ill-intentions and seems to be an attempt to undermine Pakistan’s national security and integrity. I am also bewildered at how the present government is willing to give away so many concessions to India.

Tell me why the government decided to put the agency under so-called ‘civilian control’, is the Prime Minister not a civilian? Tell me why the RAW operates directly under the Prime Minister of India while our government wanted the ISI to operate under the interior ministry? Do they not understand the fundamental domains of ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’ affairs?

Pakistan is threatened by this very government and this could be due to two possible reasons:

(i) Either the government is actually very clumsy and really incapable of handling the crisis at hand.

OR

(ii) The government at present is serving US, Indian and Israeli interests deliberately.

I am pleased at the dramatic reversal of this bad decision which happened at 3:00 AM in the morning.

A gift to the United States has been denied and our defense agency works like it used to operate before.