CIA penetrates ISI?

The News, January 25, 2006
Reports about CIA infiltrating into ISI denied
By Mariana Baabar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday categorically denied reports that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States has succeeded in penetrating the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s premier intelligence network.

"Absolutely rubbish, I categorically deny these allegations as nothing of the sort is happening in the ISI. We have very secure systems for all our communications, especially for sensitive communication for which there are secret codes. Of course, we are aware that the Americans have highly sensitive technical gadgetry and we are aware of the manner that they pick up information on unguarded lines but this does not mean that we let our guard down for a minute," a senior intelligence official told The News.

The official was responding to queries about a report in The Times, reproduced by a local English language daily, which spoke of two issues. One that the United States and Pakistan have an agreement which allows the Americans to strike inside Pakistan if it has the required intelligence, and if Pakistan forces are themselves unable to cope with the situation.

The second comment in The Times report talked of American intelligence saying that they were capable of monitoring the ISI, in case there were still people employed there who were sympathetic to the Taliban and other militants.

"Nothing could be further from the truth. The Army rotates officers in a routine manner and there is no one at this institution working in any area on a permanent basis. If at some stage, because of certain policies, there were such people, then all of them have been removed from such sensitive posts," the official said.

Asked if it was possible for the Americans to come in physically and bug sensitive installations, the official said it was a routine the world over to sweep for such bugs and this was a technique that Pakistan used very frequently as they were aware of the techniques and methods that different capitals applied, and Pakistan too had methods to counter them.

Meanwhile, when the Foreign Office spokesperson was asked about the Pakistan-US agreement as mentioned by The Times, she said: "The Foreign Office is not aware of any such agreement. This question should be directed to the ISPR."

At present, ISPR Director-General Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan is accompanying President Pervez Musharraf to Oslo. However, the Foreign Office spokesperson said there was certainly no agreement allowing the US to operate inside Pakistan’s territory. "The prime minister in his remarks in New York was very clear and categorical on this issue," she added.