risky moves if Washington's support is assured. Two, that it forced the military to resist the decision and emerge as the bad guy, which fits in with the current defamation campaign in the US media. And, three, it opened a public debate in Pakistan on the ISI – sort of similar to the one launched by the CIA propaganda machine in the US.
But apart from pleasing Washington and appeasing New Delhi, the PPP's decision exposed its inability to appreciate the difference between running a family-run political party and managing a nuclear power. This blunder strengthens the hand of those who believe the military cannot afford to completely withdraw from politics and transfer critical tasks to politicians such as oversight over intelligence and strategic assets.
The last thing that the country and its citizens needs is a debate over who should supervise the ISI. People need to understand the role of the spy agency for the solidarity and security of the country. The ISI is the first line of defence of Pakistan. The basic principle of handling sensitive information is that it should be known to as few people as possible – which is called a 'need-to-know' basis. Presently, outside the agency, sensitive information is known only to the prime minister. Those playing with the ISI do not understand the stakes. Weakening the agency means weakening the government of the day, then weakening the army and thus weakening the country. Normally, it is our enemies who would wish for this to happen.
The ISI informs the prime minister when there is any indication of danger to the country within 100 kilometres of Pakistani borders. The country cannot afford to channelize this information through bureaucracy and wait until it reaches the prime minister's desk. To defend the homeland, the prime minister needs to work closely and directly with the chiefs of the army, navy and the air force. The ISI chief should be directly responsible to the chief executive of the nation because there are many confidential matters that cannot go through many hands. Moreover, many people in government departments do not have the security clearance at a sufficient level to handle the information that comes from the ISI.
This is how the business of an important country like Pakistan is conducted. In comparison, the July 26 decision seems like a crude joke with the nation.
The writer works for Geo TV. Email: aqahmedquraishi.com