Posted on 09/29/2008 9:22:45 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has appointed a new chief for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate, months after U.S. officials had questioned the reliability of the military's premier spy agency in the war against terrorism.
In a statement released late Monday, the military said Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, formerly head of Military Operations, had been appointed Director-General of the ISI, replacing Lieutenant-General Nadeem Taj.
Often referred to by critics as a "state within a state," the ISI is feared by neighboring Afghanistan and India, as well as Pakistan's civilian politicians whose governments have been overthrown by military coups.
U.S. fears that some ISI agents might be playing a double-game supporting Islamist militants put the agency under intense scrutiny, notably after a suicide bomb attack outside the Indian embassy in Kabul that killed 58 people in July.
The United States has privately urged Pakistan's six-month-old civilian government to exert more control over the ISI, according to officials, who requested anonymity.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's government made a botched attempt to bring the agency under the ambit of the Interior Ministry in July, and backed off immediately rather than provoke a backlash within the army.
Taj had been ISI chief for less than a year, having been promoted to the sensitive post by former army chief Pervez Musharraf, who was forced to quit as president last month to avoid impeachment by parliament.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
ISI Ping
Thanks....pinging others!
Pakistan tribes fight Taleban
Wasn't able to set up a link that gave anything other than Tide commercials....
I feel so much better now.
Lets see where they stand in say a month. Will the meeting aboard the carrier bear fruit, or will things continue as usual.
It seems to be more of a promotion than removal since his work there has already completed.
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