#Pakistan: New Chief, Old ISI? The appointment of Gen Rizwan Akhtar as Head of the world’s top secret agency of the world in intelligence agencies ranking, issued by US crime news is of no major surprise. He heads an agency which is highly reputed and feared in its field. The work of the ISI, as with all intelligence agencies of the world should be about protecting national interests which are aligned with the domestic and foreign policy of the state. However, it is no hidden secret that the internal and external policies of Pakistan are tied to the foreign policy of the US and any major decisions are always carried out with the blessings of the master only. The US policy for Pakistan in the region regarding Afghanistan and India is well understood and nothing is about to change. The selection of Rizwan Akhtar is not untoward as far as the US is concerned; he has the credentials which made him number one choice for the US. He is very much in line with the US thinking. His choice of topic for an academic paper he wrote in 2008, when he was a brigadier, whilst attending the US Army War College in Pennsylvania argued that Pakistan must aggressively pursue rapprochement with India. This resonates in harmony with a similar view expounded by current COAS Raheel Sharif. This sits perfectly with the US objective of harmonising ties between the two enemies so as to be able focus on the real threat to US interests in the region – China. He is also on-board with the shift in the Military policy from being Indian-centric to focussing on the ‘internal’ threat of terrorism as outlined in Kiyani’s Green Book. Akhtar posited that the resolution of the Kashmir issue and “securing a lasting peace with India is vital to the stability of Pakistan and the region”. He argued this could free up “significant Pakistani military forces for potential employment in other troubled areas for operations against the Taliban/Al Qaeda”. However, the duplicity of ISI’s policy in recent years have jeopardised its standing, just as the same has been said of the Armed Forces with respect to its collaboration with the US over providing intelligence for drone attacks, intelligence provided during the Abbotabad Operation and the freedom of movement being provided to the Raymond Davies Network to name but a few. In addition to this, former head of ISI, Shuja Pasha in 2007, referred to the Muhajideen in FATA as a ‘frontier force’ and the cordial relations between ISI and the Haqqani’s are well known. But all that has been challenged due to the dangerous game the ISI is playing by collaborating with the US in dismantling the Mujahideen networks. It is high time that the Intelligence Agencies in Muslim lands set aside their nationalistic and patriotic allegiances and tied their relentless efforts to working to safeguard Allah’s deen, by urging those in their circles to work to re-establish Allah’s command in the dunya by channelling all their efforts for the return of the Khilafah, which is an obligation on them just as it is on us. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُم O you who have believed, respond to Allah and His Messenger when they call you to that which gives you life. [TMQ 8:24]
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 12:08:03 +0000
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