Pakistan Government Disbands Spy Agency's Political Wing

On the evening of November 26th, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani confirmed reports that the civilian government had made a move to shut down the political wing of the country's feared Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The political wing had the task of spying on the country's politicians, although it is unclear how much of an effect the disbanding of this sector of the powerful ISI will have. A few months earlier, the Pakistani government attempted to rein in the ISI by putting the department under the control of the Ministry of Interior. That attempt was met with failure.¹

The role of the civilian government in Pakistan versus the army is a tricky one to understand. Since the inception of Pakistan in 1947, it has gone through three periods of overt military rule. The first spanned from 1958 to 1971, the second from 1977 to 1988, and the latest under Pervez Musharraf from 1999 to 2008.² When the army is in control, citizens of Pakistan clearly know who is in control of things, but when there is a civilian government in control, what role does the army play?

The army and the ISI grew tremendously in their prestige, abilities, and resources during the military rule of General Zia after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The United States saw Afghanistan as a buffer zone and were wary of India's ties with the communists. Military dictator and staunch Islamist Zia may have seemed an unlikely bedfellow for the Reagan administration, but CIA and ISI activities became intricately linked during this time. Championed by US Senator Charlie Wilson, the CIA funneled unprecedented amounts of funds and arms to the Afghan mujadeen through the ISI.

In his latest book Descent Into Chaos, Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid writes, "In the next few years the Americans built up the ISI into a formidable intelligence agency that managed to run the Afghan war and the political process inside Pakistan. Widespread corruption within the ISI through its involvement in the Afghan heroin trade and the CIA arms pipeline enriched many ISI generals and also provided covert funds for Pakistan's nuclear program and the promotion of new ISI backed insurgencies in Kashmir and Central Asia."³

Civilian leader Benazir Bhutto was not confirmed as prime minister during her first term until she agreed that the army would control foreign policy and the country's nuclear program. Sources have said that she was not even given the authority to ask about these programs during her time in office.³

In 1999, then army chief Musharraf decided to take the army over the Line of Control into Indian held Kashmir, without the knowledge of many government officials. Following this military disaster, then prime-minister Nawaz Sharif feared a coup by his army chief Musharraf. His fears proved correct, as the army took over in 2000 and arrested Sharif along with about 200 other politicians loyal to the Sharif government.³

As Pakistan's new leader, Musharraf openly backed the neighboring Taleban government in Afghanistan until the September 11th attacks in the United States. Since then the army and the ISI seems to have been going through an identity crisis, supporting Islamic militants in one situation, while shooting them out of their hideouts in North West Frontier Province in the next.

Many Pakistanis who wanted to see Musharraf ousted in 2008 are now unhappy with President Asif Zardari. Many see him as untrustworthy due to the corruption charges he has faced, and the majority of Pakistanis still think of him as "Mr. 10%," alleging that he funneled funds from the Pakistan government straight into his pocket. Zardari has been trying to improve relations with India, condemn US cross border raids into Pakistani territory, and crack down on terrorists, but some wonder about the effectiveness of his government's policies when he says one thing and the army seems to do another. Just as he condemns the cross border raids by the United States, information leaks that the Pakistani army took part in the raid. Zardari's government has condemned the recent attacks in Mumbai, but past attacks of this sort in India have been traced back to the ISI.^4,5

Sources:

1) Disbanding of ISI's Political Wing

2) Government of Pakistan - Wikipedia

3) Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: How the war against Islamic extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia. 2008. pp 38-43

4) Mumbai rocked by deadly blasts - BBC

5) Mumbai attacks leave India reeling - BBC