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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Pakistan disbanding ISI's units: NYT |
| 2002-02-21 |
| Pakistan has begun to disband two major units of its powerful intelligence service that had close links to Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Kashmir , the New York Times said quoting senior Pakistani military and intelligence officials. The paper said that the change has not been publicly announced. But the officials described it as one of the most significant shifts emerging from Pakistan's decision to align itself with the West during the crisis in Afghanistan and to reduce ties with Islamic groups there and in Kashmir. The officials told the Times that the move would result in the transfer of perhaps 40 per cent of forces assigned to the secretive organization, the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, which draws its manpower from the military. The agency's size is an official secret, but some officials said the cut could amount to at least 4,000 people, from a force of perhaps 10,000. Last month, President Pervez Musharraf pledged in a speech that his country would fight terrorism in all its forms. Since then, his government has banned several Islamic groups and has announced the arrests of about 2,000 activists. The changes described within the intelligence service would be an even more tangible sign of his resolve. The changes were described by the officials as highly sensitive. The organization, whose headquarters here is surrounded by brick walls and guard towers, is one of the country's most powerful forces, and quests by the American government and forces within Pakistan for its reform have until now been rebuffed. The senior officers of Afghanistan and Kashmir units have already been transferred, and the others are being ordered to return to other military units, officials told the paper. None have been disciplined, but the United States has requested permission to interview several dozens of them to learn more about their ties to the militants. That request is still being weighed by the Pakistani authorities, several officials said. |
| Posted by:Fred |