Wary of terror links, US wants Pak to reform ISI

WASHINGTON: The Pakistani military's powerful and controversial spy agency needs reform but there is no indication this is happening yet, the top US diplomat for South Asia said. "It has to be done," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said of revamping the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, widely known as the ISI. Asked if he had seen signs of reform, he said: "No, I don't have anything in particular I would point to right now." Despite its help in fighting al-Qaida, the ISI is viewed with deep suspicion by US officials who believe it retains links to the Taliban and other militants blamed for supporting attacks on US forces across the border in Afghanistan. In July, Afghan president Hamid Karzai said Pakistani agents were behind some of the violence in his country, including a suicide attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul. India also has blamed Pakistani intelligence agents, a charge Pakistan denied. The spy agency is also suspected of having a hand in helping destabilize past civilian governments in Pakistan. Pakistan's new government led by PM Yousaf Raza Gilani tried to rein in the ISI in July by placing it under interior ministry control, only to reverse course within days in an embarrassing flip-flop. Asked why the new Pakistani government was more likely to act than under its predecessor, President Pervez Musharraf, Boucher replied: "It's sad to say, but the problem has become more and more acute." Pointing to growing militant violence inside Pakistan, Boucher said "increasingly, the problem is not seen as doing what the United States wants but doing what is necessary for the future of Pakistan". "I think they have really shown a lot of determination, particularly in the last month or two," he said of troops combating militants in the tribal areas.
source : times of india