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ISI: in the firing line

Nirupama Subramanian

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's remarks against the intelligence agency have created a stir.

THE STORM over Pakistan's secret service, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), shows no sign of abating with President Pervez Musharraf himself firing the latest shots in a debate that consumed the last leg of his foreign tour, as the American and British media, and the Indian Government all pointed at it for separate but linked reasons.

Asked on NBC's Meet The Press programme if the ISI was helping to prop up the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, President Musharraf asserted it was not, but said he was investigating the possibility that some retired ISI personnel could be involved. "I have some reports that some dissidents, some people, retired people who were in the forefront in the ISI during the period of `79 to 89' may be assisting with their links somewhere here and there," he said. "We are keeping a very tight watch and we'll get a hold of them if at all that happens."

The remarks have created a stir in Pakistan. One retired ISI official said it had caused "unnecessary commotion."

"I think he is imagining a lot of things," said Lt. General (retd.) Hamid Gul, who served as head of the ISI during a part of the period mentioned by President Musharraf, and is a strong critic of the regime. "As retired officers, we have very little space for manoeuvre, we have to stand in a queue even to deposit our electricity bills, where is the question of assisting the Taliban?"

Comparing the ISI to the secretive Freemasons, Gen. Gul said "once you leave, you are out, you don't know what's going on inside."

According to him, the organisation is so tightly controlled that it is impossible for retired officials to maintain any "links" within the organisation. "I think the pressure is on [President Musharraf], and he should be able to take it. Instead, he is trying to parry the blows. But I must say it is a very shoddy way of doing it," said the former ISI chief.

Another ISI head, Lt. General Asad Durrani, was not as dismissive of the charges, but said it was unbecoming of a head of state to talk so much about his intelligence agency.

"I do not know if [retired ISI officials] are involved. There is always the possibility that they could have been hired by someone because of their experience or because of their mindset. I don't know. But people from official quarters are saying too much. Coming from the level of the head of state, such statements create unnecessary commotion," Gen. Durrani said.

Attack from all sides

The ISI has been under attack from many sides over the last few days. Close on the heels of the disclosure last week that a British defence official had written in an academic paper of the collusion between the agency and the Taliban, came the allegation by the Mumbai police that the ISI masterminded the July 11 blasts in the city.

President Musharraf hit back on BBC TV at the British Ministry of Defence, prompting the British Government to distance itself from the paper. But Western media have persisted with making the link.

In an interview to BBC Radio, the President had to defend the ISI once again. He said without ISI assistance, the West would fail in its "war on terror."

"You will be brought down on your knees if Pakistan doesn't co-operate with you...

"And if ISI is not with you, you will fail. Let that be very clear also. Remember my words: if the ISI is not with you and Pakistan is not with you, you will lose in Afghanistan," he said.

President Musharraf, who agreed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Havana to set up an institutional joint mechanism to combat terror, has not said anything yet about the Indian allegation.

Commenting on the flak the ISI is getting, Gen. Durrani said it was inevitable that such an organisation, with its history, and taking into consideration "the present situation", including the troubles in Afghanistan and Kashmir, would have a certain "profile." "Whether it is India, or any other country, or within Pakistan, if people are unhappy with the government, the finger will be pointed, there will be some scapegoats. The Army is one, the ISI is another," he said.

Gen. Gul said that while he disagreed with the Indian allegations, those pointing at the ISI were actually pointing at General Musharraf.

"The ISI is an extension of the military establishment. If something is being done, it cannot be done without the knowledge of the government. All this sniping, it is not aimed at the horse, but on the man riding the horse. They do not want to say directly that they doubt the President, so they are pointing fingers at the ISI," said Gen. Gul.

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