Pakistan’s secret ISI purge on

By Shafqat Ali

(August 13, Islamabad, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Pakistan government has covertly started to "restructure" and "trim" its powerful spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), official sources said.

"Restructuring and trimming is on. The aim is to make the ISI more efficient and vibrant," a senior government official close to the decision-makers told this newspaper.

The Pakistan People's Party-led government, soon after taking over in March 2008, had announced it would restructure the ISI and bring it under the control of the interior ministry.

The objective was to curtail the powers of the spy agency, which has been involved in make-and-break politics for a long time. The government' decision was, however, strongly opposed by the Army and the ISI top brass. The controversy gathered so much momentum against the government that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had to withdraw the decision.

The government official said, "The effort already underway will bring energetic and more dedicated personnel into the fold of the agency who could live up to the challenges of the modern age. As part of the endeavour, 32 officers of the ranks of brigadier and colonel have been retired from the ISI and it is expected that other officers who have not proved their utility would be removed in the months to come."

"The ISI is being trimmed in the manner the Army was restructured three years ago - without compromising its ability," the official said, adding that the Army Chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has been taken into confidence regarding the restructuring and trimming.

The official said the retrenchment process in the ISI would continue for at least two more years but it would be carried out in an "extremely careful manner".

-Sri Lanka Guardian