ISI : INTER-SERVICES INTELLIGENCE .

What is the ISI?

The Inter-Services Intelligence (Urdu: ‫بین الخدماتی استخبارات‬,
abbreviated as ISI) is the premier intelligence
agency of Pakistan, operationally responsible for gathering,
processing, and analyzing national security information from
around the world. As one of the principal members of
the Pakistani intelligence community, the ISI reports to
the Director-General and is primarily focused on providing
intelligence for the Government of Pakistan. The ISI is
headquartered in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
The ISI consists primarily of serving military officers drawn
on secondment from the three service branches of the Pakistan
Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, and Navy) and hence the
name "Inter-Services". However, the agency also recruits many
civilians. Since 1971, the ISI has been headed by a
serving three-star general of the Pakistan Army, who is
appointed by the Prime Minister on recommendation of
the Chief of Army Staff, who recommends three officers for the
job. The ISI is currently headed by Lieutenant-General Faiz
Hameed who was appointed Director-General of Inter-Services
Intelligence on 17 June 2019.[3] The Director-General reports
directly to both the Prime Minister and the Army Chief. Three
Deputy Director-Generals, who are serving 2-star military
officers, report directly to the Director-General with each deputy
heading three wings respectively:[13]

 Internal Wing – responsible for domestic intelligence,

domestic counter-intelligence, counter-espionage, and
counter-terrorism.
 External Wing – responsible for external intelligence,
external counter-intelligence, and espionage.
 Foreign Relations Wing – responsible for diplomatic
intelligence and foreign relations intelligence.

What are the functions of the ISI?

1.Collection of information and extraction of intelligence from
information
ISI obtains information critical to Pakistan's strategic interests. Both overt and
covert means are adopted .
2. Classification of intelligence
Data is sifted through, classified as appropriate, and filed with the assistance
of the computer network in ISI's headquarters in Islamabad.[6]

3.Aggressive intelligence
The primary mission of ISI includes aggressive intelligence which
comprises espionage, psychological warfare, subversion, sabotage.[6]

4.Counterintelligence
 ISI has a dedicated section which spies against enemy's intelligence
collection.[6]
Methods used by the ISI to collect information
 Human Intelligence
o ISI is a very well-funded organisation. It employs a large
number of different types of human resource which share
information voluntarily or involuntarily. The ISI agents often
build a very warm relationship with the subjects and take a
long time to build trust. Initially, Indian Muslims were most
attempted targets but now high caste Hindu diaspora is the
real attraction of ISI agents for espionage.[19]
 Diplomatic missions
o Diplomatic missions provide an ideal cover and ISI centres in
a target country are generally located on the embassy
premises.[6]
 Multinationals
o ISI operatives find good covers in multinational
organisations. Non-governmental organizations and cultural
programmes are also popular screens to shield ISI
activities.[6]
 Media
o International media centres can easily absorb ISI operatives
and provide freedom of movement.[6]
 Collaboration with other agencies
o ISI maintains active collaboration with other secret services
in various countries. Its contacts with Saudi Arabian
Intelligence Services, Chinese Intelligence, the
American CIA and British MI6 have been well known.[citation
needed]

 Third Country Technique

o ISI has been active in obtaining information and operating
through third countries like
Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Iran, Turkey and China.[citation needed]
ISI : THE INVISIBLE GOVERNMENT ?

 ISI has worked to suppress political opposition to military

regimes that have dotted Pakistan’s political landscape since
1947
 Embraced radical Islamic extremism and worked with the US in
aiding the mujahideen in expelling the soviets from Afghanistan
.
 Charged with using Islamic militants in a campaign of terror to
wrench control of the provinces of Jammu and Kashmir .

ISI IS SHAPING PAKISTAN TO BE RUN BY ARMY

1. The fact that the ISI head is nominated by the PM on the advice of the
army chief does not imply that his loyalty shifts to the civilian
government. It only implies that the army chief decides who is best suited
to fulfil his plans and ambition for the country.
2. Anyone, despite all his power and authority even questioning the shaping
of the country by the ISI or seeking to challenge the writ of the army, can
be in for a rude shock. Nawaz Sharif as the PM experienced it. Not only
was he removed from his post on trumped up charges but also pushed
behind bars for the duration of elections, ensuring that the army chief’s
protégé, Imran Khan, gains power.
3. Other major political parties saw the game, and realised whom the ISI was
shaping as the next PM and hence refused to either comment or interfere.
Nawaz Sharif was released as soon as the new government took office,
clearly proving the intentions of the ISI and the army. Asif Ali Zardari too
was threatened, withdrew from the race and has been largely ignored.
4. The Islamabad High Court Judge, Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, who laid bare the
truth behind the intentions of the ISI shaping the political future of the
country, in an address to the bar council, was sacked on the
recommendations of the chief justice. He had stated:“Today the judiciary
and media have come under the control of ‘bandookwala’ (army). The
judiciary is not independent. Even the media is getting directions from
the military. The media is not speaking the truth because it is under
pressure and has its interests. In different cases, the ISI forms benches of
its choice to get desired results.”He had spoken what many desired but
feared.
5. The true reason for his removal was his strong anti-ISI and army views,
which could have impacted the hold of the ISI, as being the senior most
judge of the Islamabad High Court, he would have become its chief justice
 in November, when the present incumbent retires. The ISI would prefer
anyone but him.
6. His sacking was on the recommendations of the same chief justice, Mian
Saqib Nisar, who had ordered the removal of Nawaz Sharif. No other
individual has been investigated and punished at the speed at which Nawaz
Sharif was. It is slowly becoming evident that the sentencing was done on
incorrect inputs. His case was a clear warning to all politicians: toe the
army line or face a combined judiciary and ISI onslaught.
7. Anti-establishment writers and bloggers have either been attacked, their
residences ransacked or kidnapped to reappear after some time with
complete amnesia of what happened. The few who were able to leave the
country claimed attacks by ISI or its supporters. Taha Siddiqui, the
reporter for WION, who was kidnapped in January this year, however
managed to escape and narrate his incident, is the latest in the string of
attacks on army critics.
8. The recent court case involving Nawaz Sharif and The Dawn journalist,
Cyril Almeida, is another classic example of shaping the nation. Cyril had
faced the wrath of the ISI for the infamous dawn leaks of 16 October,
wherein in a meeting Nawaz Sharif cautioned the army on the increasing
international pressure demanding more action against armed groups, was
released by The Dawn. It also resulted in multiple resignations and
sackings, till the army was satisfied.
9. More recently, Cyril has been charged under treason, alongside Nawaz
Sharif, for publishing an interview with him in May this year, wherein
Nawaz Sharif had stated, “Should we allow them to cross the border and
kill 150 people in Mumbai.” The pressure has been such that he has
stopped his weekly columns in The Dawn. The case is in progress, which
again is a warning to all others, never challenge the army or the ISI would
target you.
10. Newspapers and TV channels are blocked and restricted on just a phone
call by the ISI. Reporters were removed for an anti-army bias and media
heads briefed on how to report on national security. Just last week, the
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority served show cause notices
to news channels which aired a controversial talk by former senator Hasmi,
who stated that the armed forces had “done nothing for the defence and
betterment of the country’ and that weapons acquired for defence were
‘merely showpieces’.”
THE POLITICAL ROLE OF THE ISI UP TILL NOW
1. In the Asghar Khan case, the then DG-ISI General (retd) Asad
Durani has admitted that funds were distributed by the
organisation to manipulate the 1990 elections against the
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). these cases relate to the
involvement of the ISI in politics and its interference in the
election process in favour of those parties considered more
patriotic and suitable for promoting a certain kind of ideology.
An impression has been created that it was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,
who for ulterior motives established a political cell of the ISI in
1975 and involved it in politics.
2. In 1975, during the Balochistan insurgency, the Hyderabad
tribunal was set up to try over 50 Pakistanis, mainly Baloch
and Pashtun politicians from the National Awami Party, who
were charged with various crimes including treason. The
evidence against the accused was mainly based on intelligence
reports compiled by the ISI. According to the late Naseerullah
Babar, Attorney General Yahya Bakhtiar was of the view that
since the ISI had no defined role that mandated it to monitor
political activities, therefore, these reports would not be
accepted by the tribunal. To make the evidence legally
admissible, an administrative order was issued, mandating the
ISI to monitor the activities of political parties. However, this
order did not authorise it to make alliances, distribute funds or
manipulate elections.

3. With every successive military dispensation, the ISI has gained

in strength and its involvement in affairs of the state has
grown. The Afghan jihad turned the ISI into the most powerful
department of the country. The officers of that era were involved
in political manipulations for the 1985 elections.
4. From 1988 onwards, the ISI was actively involved in political
manipulations targeting PPP. They had plans for waging jihad
and considered Benazir Bhutto a hurdle in its plans. The
military was also actively involved in political activities
throughout General Pervez Musharraf’s rule.
 5. In 1989, Benazir Bhutto constituted the Zulfikar Commission
to review the workings of the intelligence agencies. The
Commission recommended that the ISI should not be
entrusted with formulation of foreign policy and should be
relieved of responsibilities related to political matters. These
recommendations were never implemented.

SPECUALTIONS ABOUT THE ISI AIDING THE KASHMIR

INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT

The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence has encouraged and aided the

Kashmir independence movement through an insurgency[67][68][69][80] due
to its dispute on the legitimacy of Indian rule in Kashmir, with the
insurgency as an easy way to keep Indian troops distracted and cause
international condemnation of India.[44]
Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf in Oct 2014 said
during TV interview, "We have source (in Kashmir) besides the
(Pakistan) army…People in Kashmir are fighting against (India). We just
need to incite them."[81]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in their first ever open
acknowledgement in 2011 in US Court, said that the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) sponsors terrorism in Kashmir and it oversees terrorist
separatist groups in Kashmir.

AN ARTICLE THAT CAME SOMEWHERE :-

A Call for the ISI’s Dismantling [ article ]

According to a report by the Defense Academy, a British Ministry of Defense
think tank, “Indirectly, Pakistan [through the ISI] has been supporting
terrorism and extremism—whether in London on 7/7 or in Afghanistan or
Iraq.” The report called for the dismantling of the ISI. In July 2008, the
Pakistani government attempted to bring the ISI under civilian rule. The
decision was reversed within hours, thus underscoring the power of the ISI
and the weakness of the civilian government.

On paper (according to the Pakistani Constitution), the ISI is answerable to

the prime minister. In reality, the ISI is officially and effectively a branch of
the Pakistani military, itself a semi-autonomous institution that has either
overthrown Pakistan’s civilian leadership or ruled over the country for most of
its independence since 1947. Located in Islamabad, the ISI boasts a staff of
tens of thousands, much of it army officers and enlisted men, but its reach is
much more vast. It exercises that reach through retired ISI agents, plus
militants under its influence or patronage. These include the Taliban in
Afghanistan and Pakistan and several extremist groups in Kashmir, a province
Pakistan and India have been disputing for decades.

More info about this

Probably steps taken to stop the ISI

ORDER PASSED BY THE SUPREME COURT
Pakistan's Supreme Court today prohibited members of its armed forces
from engaging in political activities and directed state agencies like the
Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI to operate within the law as it ordered the
government to act against those propagating "hatred, extremism and
terrorism".
The order by a two-member bench of the top court came while delivering a
verdict on the 2017 Faizabad sit-in by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
(TLP) and other smaller outfits.
"We direct the federal and provincial governments to monitor those
advocating hate, extremism and terrorism and prosecute the perpetrators in
accordance with the law," the bench comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and
Justice Mushir Alam ruled.
The court also directed all government agencies and departments,
including those run by the army like Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to
operate within the limits defined by the law.
The court also ordered that members of the armed forces were prohibited
from engaging in any kind of political activity, which includes supporting a
party, faction or individual.
"The government of Pakistan through the Ministry of Defence and the
respective Chiefs of the army, the navy and the air force are directed to
initiate action against the personnel under their command who are found to
have violated their oath," the court said.
Several experts were of the view that Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan
was supported by the country's army in the last year's general election.
Pakistan's military has ruled the country through various coups for nearly
half of the country's history since independence in 1947. The military plays
an important role in the country's decision making.