Search This Blog

Saturday 16 July 2011

CIA, ISI bosses mend fences

WASHINGTON (Agencies) – The US and Pakistani spy chiefs in their meetings at CIA headquarters made progress in mending rifts in a relationship that had soured over the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden, US and Pakistani officials said on Thursday.
ISI Director General Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha made a brief visit to Washington, arriving on Wednesday and leaving on Thursday, to meet CIA Acting Director Michael Morell and other intelligence officials. Both sides sought to renew ties of cooperation and move forward in an often challenging relationship.
Pakistan and the United States have agreed on several steps to improve counter terrorism cooperation between CIA and ISI, US officials said. “The discussions today between General Pasha and the acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency went very well,” a US official said on condition of anonymity. “They agreed on a number of steps that will improve Pakistani and US national security,” the official said, adding that Pakistan’s military may resume soon.
A senior official at the Pakistani embassy in Washington said the meetings helped stabilise the intelligence partnership between the two countries. “Both sides were able to agree on the way forward in intelligence,” the Pakistani official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “This visit has put the intelligence component back on track completely.”
The relationship between US and Pakistani intelligence services was especially strained after US special forces conducted a secret raid in Pakistan in May that killed bin Laden. Pakistan branded the operation a violation of its sovereignty and Pasha offered to resign. “We have had difficulties since May 2,” the senior Pakistani official said. “Those difficulties are being addressed.”
Sources said that Lt-Gen Pasha had a candid exchange of views with the US intelligence officials, touching on a number of contentious issues, including Pakistan’s curtailing of visas issued to US officials, increased drone strikes and demands on more intelligence sharing.
A well-placed source said that Pasha had to face tough questions from the US officials regarding Pakistan’s cooperation in the war on terror. Lt General Pasha talked with Michael Morell and his staff about a possible agreement about the “rules of engagement” for the US spy agency officials to operate in Pakistan.
Both intelligence officials also discussed Wednesday’s Mumbai attacks. The US officials prodded Pasha to take action against different militant outfits, including the so-called Haqani network. Other topics under discussion included the issue of ongoing operations by the Pakistan military in the northern areas and the alleged presence of al-Qaeda leaders, especially al-Zawahiri.
The intelligence source said that the ISI chief offered Pakistan’s cooperation but was also sought a “no undercovers and no unilateral strikes” understanding. But the US sees surgical drone strikes as a successful tool and will not compromise on that; however, the CIA also wants an increased on ground presence that is impossible without ISI help, the source added.
The ISI chief also had to go back and forth on the alleged IED factories and allegations that members of the security establishment tipped off extremists targeted by the US. “He explained Pakistan’s position on the situation,” a US official said on condition of anonymity.
Michael Morell and his team wanted the ISI to agree to joint intelligence operations targeting suspected militants in Pakistan. Pasha offered cooperation in certain areas but was resistant to independent CIA operations in Pakistan, so he demanded prior notification of any CIA officials and their activities before any operation. “He wants everything in black and white,” the US official said, referring to Lt-Gen Pasha’s meeting with the CIA.
Pasha shared Pakistan’s concerns over the security situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. While the US demanded stern action against the al-Qaeda leaders supposed to be living in Pakistan. “The US believes that the Haqqani network is operating in Pakistan and provides safe havens to al-Qaeda members,” the source said, adding that the meeting agenda focused on better, rather than more, cooperation from Pakistan. “The leakage of intelligence is a serious concern, and it is hard for the US to trust with such information,” the source said.
Another point of contention between representatives of the spy agencies was the future of Dr Shakil Afridi, who allegedly helped CIA in obtaining a DNA sample of Osama bin Laden from the compound in Abbottabad by running a fake vaccination campaign. Reportedly, Afridi is in ISI custody since late May.
The official said this visit has “broken the ice” since the information sharing between the two agencies diminished considerably after the bin Laden attack. This was the ISI chief’s first visit to the US following the Abbottabad raid. Lt-Gen Pasha arrived in Washington on Wednesday afternoon and immediately met for nearly two hours with Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani and the embassy’s defence staff.
Pasha had also been expected to meet with the heads of congressional intelligence committees during this visit, but the meeting did not happen because of time constraints, a US source familiar with the visit said.

No comments:

Post a Comment