Comment: It is unlikely that the ISI bosses will trust public functionaries, but at the least it is a wonderful idea - which hopefully will become a permanent feature and would certainly create a precedent for future parliament.
Daily Times, May 23, 2006
Senate body to question ISI officials
By Maryam Hussain
ISLAMABAD: Top bosses of Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) are to appear, for the first time, before the Senate body on defence to brief members about the agency’ss functions and covert operations, as well as the role of the agency’s infamous political cell in the making and breaking of political governments in Pakistan since its creation by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the 70s.
The National Assembly also has a standing committee on defence, headed by the Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, but the body has never asked ISI officials to brief members of the lower house about its function, role and responsibilities.
However, the ISI bosses will testify to the senators at a closed-doors meeting, as the Senate Standing Committee on Defence is the only parliamentary committee whose deliberations are not open to journalists.
The disclosure that ISI officials would brief the Senate body was made at the last meeting of the committee. The committee met with Senator Nisar Memon in the chair. Senators Kamil Ali Agha, Rukhsana Zuberi and Prof Khursheed Ahmed were among those who attended that meeting.
After giving a lengthy briefing on the future plans of the committee and how it should proceed, Memon disclosed that upon the reconstitution of the Senate body after the election of new senators, it was decided that all major departments of the Pakistan Army would come and brief the upper house body about their functions and role and face the questions of elected members of parliament.
The meeting was informed that as a first step, it was decided that the ISI should be asked to brief the members of the committee about the mandate and functions of the spy agency, and the role of its political cell. This news was apparently greeted by enthusiasm and excitement by the committee members, who would become the first parliamentary committee to be briefed by the ISI.
It is not clear exactly what date the intelligence officials will brief the Senate standing committee.
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