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India-Pakistan
Pakistan: FBI rules the roost
2003-10-03
Yes, I know it’s from the Asia Times Online, and yes, they do have their own looney theories. If you read between the lines, you can pick up a few points of interest. EFL:
Pakistani forces have killed at least 12 and arrested 12 suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters over the past two days in a major operation at Angoor Adda, a small town on the border with Afghanistan. The operation is being widely hailed in Pakistan as a demonstration of the country’s commitment to the US-led "war on terrorism". However, this is only a part of the story. The clash was orchestrated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a direct result of its deep penetration - and even control - of the Pakistani intelligence establishment.
Bwahahaha, our plans for worldwide domination proceed!
Ya, sure! Ve got the Swedes infiltrated, tooo!
The roots of this involvement can be directly traced to the fallout from the events of September 11, 2001, which saw Pakistan throw in its lot with the US. This entailed Islamabad withdrawing its long-standing support for the Taliban in Afghanistan, which it had helped propel into power in 1996, and opening its air bases to the US military for operations in Afghanistan. It also allowed US intelligence to establish a finger-hold in the country, which the FBI has now turned into a vice-like grip through an ever-expanding network that has infiltrated, to various degrees, Pakistan’s armed forces, the police and intelligence agencies.
Who writes this stuff, the FBI promotional director?
The FBI varies its presence according to requirements in its hunt for al-Qaeda suspects, with the total number deployed anywhere between 50 and 100. It has at least three active cells, in Peshawar, on the border of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), where many al-Qaeda are known to hide, in the volatile port city of Karachi and in the capital Islamabad.
Ok, sounds about right.
We've also got Qazi's underwear drawer bugged and his toilet mined...
The FBI initially kept a low profile, working mostly at the direction of the all-powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s premier intelligence outfit and effectively the architect and orchestrator of Pakistan’s strategic policies. Now, however, the FBI works autonomously, with its own separate organizational setup.
That's because they met Mahmoud the Weasel one too many times...
This includes communications to track both mobile and land telephone calls, as well as sophisticated bugging devices. Each cell has these capabilities. In Karachi, the FBI cell operates in the Defense Housing Authority Phase VIII complex. Only two or three army officers are attached to this cell, purely for coordination purposes.
"Black, two sugars, Mahmoud."
Also, ok. They recognize ISI is not their friend.
Not all are happy with this state of affairs. According to one ISI person posted in Karachi, who requested not to be named when talking to Asia Times Online, "After September 11, 2001, we were given instructions to work along with FBI operators. Initially they were given a room in the ISI’s operations office. They used to give commands to us, and we had to obey them. For instance, once they asked us to send a packet somewhere. We packed it and informed them that the parcel was ready. They unpacked the parcel and asked an ISI employee to repack it in front of them. This is the way the FBI operators showed their domination over the ISI staff."
Or they didn’t like the shitty way you wrapped the package, didn’t like working for infidels, did you?
Or they did't trust the way the Paks did the wiring...
"At first they asked us to coordinate in operations. Later on they were given a separate place of work, then they cultivated local police officers, and several times they did not bother to inform the ISI about their operations."
How about that, someone in the FBI got a clue.
"Mahmoud the Weasel was so very disappointed..."
The FBI cells have established direct control over the law enforcing agencies, such as the police, who take orders from FBI agents. In return, they are believed to be handsomely rewarded financially.
We pay better, plus visas if needed.
The ISI is aware of who is on the FBI’s payroll, but can do little about it.
The cops know where you live, and carry guns too.
"There is no precedent," says a retired army brigadier who was in charge of ISI operations in Afghanistan during the Soviet war of the 1980s. "Pakistan was a frontline state against the former USSR during the Afghan war. The CIA was thickly involved in operations, but the CIA was not allowed to go beyond Islamabad. Their planes, loaded with missiles and ammunition, used to land at Islamabad airport, but these consignments were just handed over to an ISI cell, which used then to pass them on to the mujahideen in Afghanistan," the brigadier said.
"That way, we could hand them out to whomever we wanted, and they'd get blamed..."
"Even on a strategic level, the ISI used to plan operations single-handedly. The CIA only looked after the financial aspects of operations."
It’s called "Lessons Learned", we aren’t going to make the same mistakes twice.
According to well-placed sources in the Pakistani intelligence community, some the country’s former clandestine operations have now been curtailed, such as one involving the national carrier, Pakistan International Airline (PIA). PIA was once extensively used for "back-channel diplomatic activities", such as shifting missiles under the cover of routine cargo. But under heavy US pressure, PIA’s reservation system is now hosted in Texas through the Sabre Group, and the movement of each and every passenger is carefully monitored, as is the cargo.
If true, it’s a great idea.
The paper continued, "Under an agreement between the authorities of the United States and Pakistan, banks in Pakistan will be giving details of remittances flowing in or out of foreign currency accounts, which will be handed to the FBI," the paper quoted a Wall Street banker as saying. "The agreement has come into effect and the Pakistani banks are collecting details on deposits and withdrawals into and from their foreign currency accounts."
There is more on our access to the Pak banks, but you get the drift. Interesting, maybe even partly true.
Posted by:Steve

#2  But under heavy US pressure, PIA’s reservation system is now hosted in Texas through the Sabre Group

Which is probably outsourced to India, oh the irony.
Posted by: rg117   2003-10-3 9:28:49 PM  

#1  The FBI controlling the security apparatus of a foreign government? Whatever this Asia Times writer is smoking, it's worth its weight in gold. This is the product of the collective imaginations of Pakistani Islamists. They're saying that Pakistan's security services are under the thumb of the FBI in order to delegitimize Musharraf. For the Islamists to simply say that Musharraf has had enough of the radicalism won't cut it - they need to make it sound like he is a puppet dancing to a foreign power's tune.

The danger to Musharraf is real, however. Like the Roman emperors, Musharraf was selected by his troops to lead the country - he can just as easily be un-selected in favor of another pretender to the throne. He needs to keep his supporters satisfied, and one hopes that not too many of the important ones are Islamists.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2003-10-3 4:26:55 PM  

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