Pakistan's Intelligence Services Are Still Indepedent From Political Oversight

Shopkeepers survey destroyed shops, a day after they were set ablaze by an angry mob in reaction to a suicide bomb attack on a procession of Shi'ite Muslims commemorating Ashura, in Karachi. Photo by Reuters

Issue Of Placing ISI Under Civilian Control Shelved: Zardari -- Times Of India

ISLAMABAD: Political forces in Pakistan want the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency to be placed under civilian control but the matter has been put on the backburner for the time being, President Asif Ali Zardari has said.

"The political forces want the ISI should be brought under civilian control but for the time being, this matter has been shelved," Zardari said in an interview with a TV news channel.

He did not give the reasons for the issue being shelved.

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My Comment: This lack of oversight and control of an important branch of the Pakistan military is one of the many reasons why Pakistan is now suffering from the violence and instability caused by the groups that these same agencies originally developed and organized.

Unfortunately, permitting civilian control over the ISI may not be the panacea that some are hoping for. The fear among many is that if the ISI was to fall under civilian control, politicians would then use the ISI to establish and support their political base .... especially during elections. The consequences may become even worse than if the ISI was an independent body.