War on Terror and Politics in Pakistan

By Prof Dr. Muhammad Hafeez

Reportedly, a bill is being tabled by a PPP Senator in the Senate of Pakistan to constrain the legal/constitutional status of the ISI (Inter-services Intelligence Agency). Such attempts had failed in the past and Pakistani public must understand the intricacies of such moves/intentions particularly in the context of ongoing war on terror.

War on terror is a “war of hearts and minds” as said by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In other words, it is a psycho-social war to transform the attitudes, minds, and social values of people across nations. In such a war, intelligence agencies have become increasingly important; and the ISI is no exception. It has a very important role to safeguards the interests of Pakistan in short, medium, and long terms.

The ISI is a well-respected organization and has been ranked first among the top ten secret agencies of the world in the recent past. The American CIA has been rated number two in the hierarchy of important agencies of the world. The question arises why has the Pakistani agency been the top agency of the world?

On November 8, 2012, the then CIA Chief, General David Petreaus resigned apparently on account of a sex scandal with his mistress Paula Broadwell. She was promoted to the rank of a Lt Colonel in American army at that time; and has written a book on Gen Petreaus (All In: The Education of General David Petreaus).

Due to the alleged sex scandal and her role about divulging sensitive information, her promotion in the army was stalled. She is presently living with her family in Charlotte, NC, USA and is trying to reconcile with her scandalous past.

While resigning, General Petreaus said that that he was married for 37 years and held a responsible position; and on account of that he had decided to resign from his position as the Chief of CIA. While reading this explanation by the General in 2012, I was surprised as such sexual matters remain a sort of social norm in American society.

On January 6, 2015, New York Times reported that Feds recommended charges against General Petreaus. While learning this development, it occurred to me that his resignation alluded to something deeper than just a sex scandal; and I thought there must be something serious behind the indictment. The development of the story suggested that the indictment of General Petreaus might have links with covert operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These findings indicated the complexities of the War on Terror and we must be careful to make comments on the work of different security agencies in Pakistan.

Accordingly, the Senate of Pakistan is advised that it should recognize the importance of security institutions in local, national, and international perspectives in the frame of continuing war on terror. The Senators and members of parliament should understand global and regional connections with Pakistan’s survival and growth strategies/priorities. The political parties and relevant individuals should move away from party/personal interests and promote the confidence of Pakistan’s security apparatus.

To conclude, we must gain confidence as a nation and in its bright future as we have survived through a long war on terror since the events of 9/11. We know that several countries including Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan have been destroyed while Pakistan did not suffer that much. We should be proud of Pakistani nation and its armed forces, particularly the ISI (the eyes and ears of Pakistani armed forces). We are fighting this complex war on terror and I am certain that a prosperous future of this nation is around the corner. Long live Pakistan.