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Leave the ISI alone
Quaid-e-Azam was a statesman and visionary. Among his decisions, two stands out; the inception of the ISI and keeping the tribal belt as a buffer zone. Today, both are under attack.
It was the founder leader who visualized the ISI to have an army outfit under the control of the prime minister. In this way, he wanted to keep a link between a disciplined army team and a civilian setup. Another visionary, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, modified it by setting up a political wing in its structure. It could have worked well had it not been for a few power hungry generals supported by a few greedy politicians who disturbed the equilibrium for their personal gains.
Never the less, the ISI turned into one of the most capable professional networks in the world carrying equal weight vis-Ã -vis its counterparts in India, Israel, Britain and America. Rajiv Gandhi once desired to have an effective intelligence agency like the ISI for India. This became an irritant point for India and for that matter Israel. After, 9/11 and the increased activities in our neighboring country, Afghanistan, America joined the two countries by campaigning against it through Karzai and its army operators. Unfortunately, a few shortsighted "˜wizards' from within the country supported the campaign and started "˜pushing and pulling' the institute in a mudslinging arena.
But ISI has the potentials to accept such challenges and react in the most effective way. The latest being the well-known notification, when someone tried to bring it under the control of the interior ministry. People started pointing fingers in a specific direction, but it is possible, that the ISI being a mature and time tested player played a shrewd game. It let and even convinced the tactless managers of the government to show the Americans that they have brought the institute to its knees? And at the eleventh hour during the most crucial time of PM visit to the US, it pulled the rug under their feet, sending a strong message to the Americans to leave the ISI alone. Nobody can touch it; not the Americans; not the Indians; not the thoughtless irritants within the country; and definitely not that stooge like figure, Karzai
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