CIA used media to propaganda against the ISI

CIA used media to propaganda against the ISI

Since the death of Osama bin Laden, the US media has been asking how the world`s most wanted man could live for years in hideout in Pakistani. Friction between the US and Pakistan has focused on the role of the latter`s intelligence sector, triggering a backlash from Islamabad, which has described the raid that killed Bin Laden as a violation of sovereignty by the US. Some in the Indian media went a step further, calling for attacks on anti Indian terrorists in Pakistan.


ISI, the elite wing of the armed forces of Pakistan, has been an eye sour for the United States and many others for the last few years as it zealously protected and served the vital national interests. At one point of time, US through its machinations almost succeeded in getting it under a civilian set up and make it toothless when a shocking notification was issued to place it under the Interior Ministry but that was not going to happen and the conspiracy was foiled with straightforward approach by the concerned quarters.

Since then a periodical tirade of allegations of one sort or the other had followed against it as the CIA used the powerful western media to publish and air the propaganda against the prime intelligence agency, feared most by the adversaries. The incident of Abbottabad, which is still shrouded in mystery, provided an opportunity for a full blast tirade against it and this time the head of ISI, the veteran General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, who has emerged as an upright, truly professional and a brave soldier playing a critical role for the security of the country is the main target. General Pasha enjoys a unique respect not only in the security circles but also among the people of Pakistan, for his forthright stance to safeguard the interests of Pakistan in the face of all sorts of pressures. He is being targeted for specific purpose and the western media has gone to the extent that his resignation has been demanded. According to American newspapers reports, the US government has demanded the identities of some of the top Pakistani intelligence operatives to determine whether any of them had contact with Osama bin Laden or his agents in the years before the raid. That is too much and in no way Pakistani authorities disclose the names of our top spies as that would amount to leaking out of top secrets. One expects that with the passage of time the tirade would be further mounted against the ISI. It is now clear that the leads to the courier and the phone number were provided by ISI to CIA and in fact it was the CIA that violated the understanding of sharing of intelligence. The CIA also did not inform Pakistan of hiring a house near the compound of bin Laden and using modern intelligence tools without informing the Pakistani intelligence agencies. Though it is understood that in no way the government and the leadership would submit to the US demand as it cannot afford to do so but even then we would like to warn that if Pakistan yields, then it should know that today it is General Pasha, tomorrow they may ask for General Kayani himself. We would emphasise that at this point of time armed forces are the stabilizing factor and perhaps the only check against the crumbling down of Pakistan. Therefore in no way the government even pay attention to demands which can compromise Pakistan’s security and sovereignty.


Standing at the beachhead of the war on terror, the Pakistani government has taken risks beyond the imagination of the West in recent years. Pakistan has suffered huge losses from the war, making it a victim of social disruption and numerous violent incidents as well as the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, who was one of the most outstanding leaders of the nation.
US media criticism indicates that it does not see Pakistan as a real ally that deserves respect, but only a performer of the US interest. In the eyes of many Americans, Pakistan is nothing but a country that has been bought and maneuvered by US dollars.
As to the reactions in India, the media seems to lack restraint. Indian society's geopolitical observations about this region are worrisome. Extremism in India may stunt its efforts to become a more responsible power in South Asia.
In an era of the Internet, the West's arrogance toward Third World countries creates uneasiness in the political forum. Without restraint, the functions of the Western media have been exaggerated and have set a bad example for India, which boasts of being a fully opened nation in terms of media coverage. Hard-won compromises between India and other governments are often distorted.
Pakistan is one of the most complex countries of the Muslim world, with a mix of modern democracy and tribe-based autonomy. Being a populous country with nuclear weapons, Pakistan's stability is vital for the whole region. It would be ridiculous and wrong to force Pakistan to bend before external pressures: Respect rather than oppression from the West is what would help the nation realize modernization.
China, a heart-felt friend to Pakistan, has also suffered from terrorism in recent years. Its frontier provinces are occasionally disturbed by extremists from within Pakistan. But this has not caused any deterioration in bilateral ties between the two countries. The mutual respect between China and Pakistan has surpassed the imagination of some Western countries.
In this way, China has set an example for the West on how to treat Pakistan as a sincere and cooperative partner.