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ISI is first line of defence: Musharraf

Islamabad: Amid pressure from India and the U.S. to rein in the ISI, President Pervez Musharraf has come to its rescue, saying any attempt to target the agency would weaken Pakistan as it is “the first line of defence” and lashed out at his detractors for calling him an “American stooge.”

Retired General Musharraf, who was addressing businessmen in Karachi late on Sunday, said the recent allegations levelled against the ISI are a “conspiracy” against Pakistan. He described the intelligence agency as “the first defence line of Pakistan,” saying “weakening the ISI would weaken Pakistan and its armed forces as well as the war against terror.”

Conspiracies against the ISI are aimed at defaming Pakistan and the spy agency is a patriotic institution working for the stability of the country, he said. His comments came against the backdrop of India and Afghanistan accusing the ISI of being behind the attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

The President hit back at his detractors, saying: “The nation will have to decide as to which kind of Islam it wants. The world says that Pakistan is extremist. We will have to prove that we are not so. When I say this, I’m dubbed as an American stooge.”

“We have to decide whether we want a liberal and moderate Pakistan or a terrorist or extremist Pakistan,” he added. It is widely believed that General Musharraf and the armed forces played a key role in pressuring the government to go back on a notification issued last month to place the ISI under the Interior Ministry’s control.

General Musharraf also said he was ready to talk to the Jamaat-e-Islami and PML-N, which are demanding his impeachment. He said a dangerous situation is brewing as the economic situation of the country was very fragile and it has become difficult for Pakistan to survive with such a weak economy.

Over 130 people, including 94 Taliban fighters and 28 civilians, have died in fighting over the past week in Pakistan’s north-western Swat Valley, where intermittent clashes continued on Monday between security forces and militants. The fierce clashes have threatened a fragile peace deal signed by the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) government and the Taliban on May 21.

“Ninety-four militants and 14 security officials, including three staffers of the ISI have been killed in the fighting,” said Brigadier Zia Bodla in Mingora, the main city of Swat district in NWFP. Twenty-eight civilians had also lost their lives in the fighting, he said. The Army launched a crackdown in Swat after the Taliban killed three intelligence personnel and abducted 25 police and paramilitary personnel, who are still in captivity.

Brig. Bodla said the operation against the Taliban would continue “till the objective of clearing the area of militants is achieved.” He described the violence as “very unfortunate” and said the militants were targeting security forces and burning schools.

The Army had shown restraint following the signing of the peace deal in May but the militants had consistently violated the agreement, he said. — PTI

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