Pakistan govt puts ISI under civilian control

Pakistan govt puts ISI under civilian control 27 July 2008, ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani put the military's main spy agency under the control of the interior ministry, a move seen as asserting civilian authority over the intelligence network. "The prime minister (has) approved the placement of Intelligence Bureau and Inter Services Intelligence under the administrative, financial and operational control of the Interior Division with immediate effect," the Pakistani government said in a statement on Saturday. The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency is known to have wielded great influence on foreign and security policies, especially towards India and Afghanistan. Critics say it played a major role in the creation of the Taliban movement which took control of Afghanistan in the 1990s and harboured al-Qaida until it was forced from power by US-led forces. The decision was aimed at keeping the army out of the diplomatic line of fire, the head of the ruling party said. Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower and leader of Pakistan People's Party, hoped the "historical" decision would yield positive results for the country as well as the army. "In future, enemies of Pakistan will not be able to defame the ISI; nobody will say that this agency is not under the control of an elected government," the daily News quoted him as saying from Dubai. "The interior ministry will be responsible for responding to allegations against the ISI." Last month, Pakistan denied accusations by Afghan authorities that the ISI was behind an attempt by Taliban militants to kill Afghan President Hamid Karzai in April. The government announcement came hours after Gilani embarked on his first official visit to US. Zardari's opponents dubbed the decision an attempt to politicise the ISI and hoped it would be reversed soon. "It's an absolutely wrong decision from every prospective," said Mushahid Hussain Sayed, secretary general of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League. Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Sunday, the government said its decision regarding control of the ISI was being "misinterpreted". "ISI will continue to perform its functions under the prime minister," a government spokesman said. He said the government's decision "only re-emphasises more coordination between the ministry of interior and ISI in relation to war on terror and internal security".