The government has placed Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) under the control of Interior Ministry to streamline the working relationship and co-ordination of the two agencies.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has approved the placement of IB and ISI under the administrative, financial and operational control of the Interior Division, said a memorandum the Cabinet Division issued here on Saturday. The implementation on this order will be made with immediate effect, the memorandum reads.
This is a major structural change in intelligence agencies, which can help streamline the working of these agencies, well-placed sources in the Interior Ministry told Business Recorder. Independent working of these agencies has caused lack of co-ordination between them resulting in failure to attain the desired results against terrorism, drug trade and other problems that Pakistan is facing for a long time.
This decision was taken by federal government to bring changes in the basic structure of all watchdog agencies and avoid duplication or leakage of secret information, the sources said.
A cell on the same pattern was created during the last regime of Benazir Bhutto headed by Lieutenant General Raja Saroop Khan (Retd) to first receive the information from all the agencies and after thorough study send the same to the highest authority. All the intelligence agencies were working independently and did not like the idea of a watchdog body to look after their affairs.
The same cell after thorough study proposed that 4 million Taliban militants be brought into the mainstream by disarming them and giving them appropriate job opportunities. The cell suggested complete audit of the funds received by Madaris along with their source of financing.
On the suggestions of the cell, an operation clean up was started in Karachi against MQM which was supervised by the then-Interior Minister Lieutenant General Naseerullah Babar (Retd).
To institutionalise this cell, a proposal was also floated during the last regime of Benazir Bhutto, when Tariq Lodhi, the present Director General of IB suggested the establishment of Research and Analysis Division (RAD) which will vet the files of all the agencies before forwarding them to the prime minister, the sources added.
They said the PC1 of the umbrella division to be headed by a politician, ex-military person or a researcher, was prepared costing about Rs 45 million. The division will network all other intelligence organs on the pattern of Indian intelligence agency - RAW.
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