Taming the ISI

Fri, Aug 8 02:23 AM

For the first time, Pakistan's spy agency ISI stands internationally exposed, as the US has blamed it for masterminding the bomb blast at the Indian embassy in Kabul last month. Closely following the discovery of fresh evidence linking ISI to Taliban, the Kabul bomb blast convinced the US of ISI's terrorism agenda. In response, the Pakistani establishment has promised to act against ISI, but I have my doubts. No democratic government in Pakistan has ever been able to wield any control over ISI. Within Pakistan, many believe that ISI is no longer a government organisation; but a mafia run by army officers and the old guard of the agency, who are involved in criminal activities like abduction, extortion, drug-trafficking, printing of fake currency and terrorism. It is an open secret that the ISI has strong links with most terrorist outfits active in South Asia. Half of ISI's budgetary allocation by the Pakistan government is stolen by people within the agency. In any case, this funding has no accountability; senior ISI officials listen only to the army chief and nobody else. They have only one boss and it's not their prime minister. Not so long ago, Pakistan's then PM Benazir Bhutto admitted as much and expressed her sheer helplessness in controlling either the ISI or the army, during a private conversation with her Indian counterpart Rajiv Gandhi, on the sidelines of the 1988 Saarc summit in Islamabad.

The current Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani has assured the US of his resolve to curb ISI's activities, but this sounds like a false promise. In my view, ISI can only be controlled if the US mounts enough pressure on Pakistan's military establishment. The supply of state funds to the agency needs to be curtailed. The US must also take advantage of its position to launch a competent counter-intelligence operation that will keep an eye on the functioning of ISI officials and operatives.

Surat's unsolved bomb mystery

The series of live bombs discovered in Surat are more baffling than terrifying. Nobody can deny that it is most likely an act of terror, but the manner in which the bombs have been discovered evokes curiosity more than concern. A total of 28 bombs have been found so far, including two cars full of explosives; but none of them exploded. Many of these bombs have been found in strange locations; some hanging from a tree while others hidden behind hoardings. It is not clear why terrorists would choose these sites to plant these bombs, since midair explosions would not cause much damage to life or property.

Intriguingly, many of these bombs have been discovered on the information of a local activist of a political organisation. All the bombs discovered look similar and were even packaged in one style. Even the bomb disposal squads seemed to have stopped taking these bombs seriously; squad members were seen on television diffusing some of these bombs without wearing safety jackets. In any case, all bombs were defused amidst a public spectacle with thousands thronging to witness the act. There are far too many loose ends in the Surat bombs mystery and the Gujarat government has failed to come up with any logical explanation so far. In my view, the central government should immediately intervene and hand over this case to the CBI to probe.

Fly past

New Delhi's Safdarjung airport is spread over a huge expanse of land, and located right in the centre of the city. Till about two decades back, private aircrafts used to fly to and from the airport. The home ministry later ordered a shutdown of civilian operations at the airport citing a perceived security threat to the prime minister's residence that is located close to the airport. Only Air Force helicopters are allowed to fly out of Safdarjung today.

In fact, Safdarjung airport poses as much threat to the PM's residence as Delhi's main airport at Palam does. An aircraft flying from or towards Palam and straying from its flight path will take only six seconds to reach the Prime Minister's residence. No counter-attack is practically possible within six seconds of a flight straying from its path. Looked this way, there is a constant airborne threat to PM's House unless the Palam airport is shifted out of Delhi.

On the other hand, many countries follow better systems to safeguard their prime locations. In the US, civilian aircrafts are not barred from flying near the White House, but the aviation authorities enforce strict regulations over their movement, including fingerprinting and conducting background checks of all pilots before they are allowed to fly to Washington. In London, strict on-ground security enforcement has allowed commercial flights to use the conventional flight path that goes near Buckingham Palace. There is no reason why similar enforcements cannot be mandated at Safdarjung and other sensitive airports in India. The airport at Safdarjung is Delhi's oldest and it represents more than our aviation heritage; it is precious aviation infrastructure that could be utilised at a time when Delhi's main airport at Palam is reeling under chronic congestion. In my view, the government should give its decision a rethink and restart civilian operations here.

The writer is a Congress MP in Rajya Sabha

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