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Why DG ISI confronted Director CIA ?
Comments
Zahid Malik
After my four hour long informal interaction with Admiral Mike
Mullen, the most powerful man in uniform and Ambassador Richard
Holbrooke, the multi-barrel gun directed at Afghanistan and
Pakistan, at the residence of US Ambassador on the rainy evening of
April 6, 2009, I had in my comments mentioned that now the ISI was
the immediate target of the US Establishment. This was no “breaking
news” at all as every one who keeps an eye on the ongoing war on
terror knew well that US was hell-bent on (i) getting the Pakistan
Army sucked in the domestic turmoil in Swat, FATA and beyond
Waziristan, and (ii) reining in what the US calls “rogue elements”
in the ISI.
There are confirmed reports that to achieve its objectives the CIA
hired the services of at least a dozen Afghan warlords inside
Afghanistan and provided through them arms and finances to militants
in FATA and Swat to carry out murders and devastations in the
country. It was like a double-edged sword not only to get the Army
launch attacks against Taliban on Pakistani side of the border but
also to give a message to the ISI that the CIA can use the Pakistani
Taliban against their own security forces. It was in this background
that after a long, long tolerance the prime intelligence agency of
the country ultimately confronted the CIA Director Leon E. Panetta
with some highly classified and irrefutable evidence. Panetta was
startled when DG, ISI General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, a no-nonsense
General, placed the facts before him in Islamabad on November 20,
2009. The “deliberate leaks” after the meeting of the spy chiefs of
the two countries, spoke of the mind of the ISI and the armed forces
of Pakistan. General Pasha had earlier conveyed the facts about the
interference of CIA in acts of terrorism in Pakistan to the
Government but on realizing that either the message was not strongly
conveyed to the Americans or it had no desired impact on them,
finally put his foot down and expressed serious concerns over the
CIA's crude interference in the country's internal matters. The
proof about instances of covert US support to some hardened militant
outfits and terrorist activities they carried out over the past few
weeks and months, was presented to Panetta. It was indeed a
startling revelation for the top US spy and a bold manoeuvre of
Pakistan Army. General Pasha's tactical move baffled Panetta when he
was told in categorical terms that Pakistan had incriminating
evidence about the CIA officials' involvement in providing
assistance to perpetrators of some terrorist activities within
Pakistan, which had negative impact on Pakistan's efforts towards
war on terror and that the CIA must shun such activities. The
clarity with which the information was conveyed sent a loud message
to Capitol Hills that if it wanted Pakistan's cooperation in the war
on terror, it must give up playing double games. It is a known fact
that the Indian intelligence agency RAW is operating in Afghanistan
with the active backing of CIA and not only is it involved in acts
of terrorism in the NWFP but also in Balochistan. The Indians cannot
undertake such wide-scale activities in this region without the
tacit approval and backing of the CIA. The question arises how come
India has developed a huge presence in Kabul.
How Maulvi Fazlullah and the banned TTP leaders including
Hakeemullah Mehsud reached Afghanistan without the knowledge of
Americans? There are reports that TTP leaders were provided
satellite phones operated by a Gulf based Western company and they
talked freely to BBC and other media organizations without any fear
of being detected and targeted by drones or missiles. Then there are
also credible reports that a helicopter flew from Afghanistan before
17th October, when operation Rah-e-Nejat in South Waziristan was
launched, and evacuated the top leadership of the TTP from
Waziristan and shifted to Afghanistan. The Americans also vacated
some of the crucial posts along the border with South Waziristan in
an apparent bid to provide safe passage to the fleeing Pakistani
Taliban. The terrorists arrested here in Pakistan during the
operation have also told their investigators about their links with
the US and Indian agencies. There is a credible information that
full logistic and auxiliary support is still being provided to
anti-Pakistan Taliban from Nuristan Province and several top
officials from Afghan and Indian intelligence networks were seen
active in the process.
So, it is CIA agenda to get Pak Army and now Air Force also, engaged
in domestic affairs and dismantle the much dreaded ISI so that when
Pakistan became spineless its nuclear assets could be targeted in
one way or the other. It all started as early as the present
Government took over and on many occasions during this period
Washington has been publicly blaming ISI for its links with some of
the Taliban leaders including the Haqqani group. During a meeting
with Prime Minister Gilani in Washington in August 2008, Director
CIA presented him with a charge sheet on Pakistani intelligence
agencies for their alleged involvement in Jihadi activities. In
order to justify their interference in Balochistan, the CIA raised
the bogey of presence of Taliban Shura in or around Quetta.
Now what made the whole scenario very grim is the fact that the
Government appears to have succumbed to American pressure to cut the
ISI to size and make it a carpet lion. It was in this backdrop that
a notification was issued in mysterious circumstances placing the
ISI under Interior Ministry, which was later withdrawn when the move
backfired. It is a strange and baffling coincidence that during the
two stints of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto too a perception developed
about undermining the strength of the ISI. For instance, on
instructions of the BB Government Lt. Gen. Javed Ashraf Qazi, the
then DG ISI posted out 125 officers of the Agency from Major General
to Colonel ranks to other destinations because they were believed to
be soft in handling Taliban and in the eyes of US they were “rogue
elements”. From my point of view, it was a setback to ISI. Now there
is a strong perception that the incumbent leadership has not also
been presenting the serious concerns of Pakistan to the Americans in
true perspective and is just raising the issues in a casual manner.
Perhaps that was the reason that the Army leadership had to make
unusual public remarks in a press release, issued by the ISPR after
the Corps Commanders meeting in October 2009, expressing serious
concern over the Kerry-Lugar Bill saying that certain of its clauses
were intrusive and against the national interests and were thus
unacceptable. It is all the more important that Presidential
spokesman Farhatullah Babar virtually snubbed the Pakistan Army by
accusing it of crossing the red lines while the fact remains that he
himself crossed the limits.
I have reasons to believe that all this and CIA's brute as well as
crude interference in Pakistan's internal affairs has not gone well
with the Establishment and infuriated the Pakistan Army. If the
Americans did not stop these nonsensical activities in Pakistan, the
Army may say NO to cooperation with the US. I am quite sure that if
the Army says NO then consequently the whole nation will be at its
back. It was owing to this reason that COAS General Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani, while talking to newsmen on the occasion of rolling out of
first JF-17 Thunder Aircraft at Kamra on November 24, declared that
the US would have to take Pakistan into confidence and taking into
consideration the armed forces know-how to defend the country.
I personally endorse the changing mood of the Army and the ISI to
preserve the dignity and honour of the country and its institutions
and I wish the civilian Government also had the resolve to do this.
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