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Annoyed by ISI information leak, Bush asks Gilani who's in control

Annoyed by ISI information leak, Bush asks Gilani who's in control

Author: Sami Abraham
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 1, 2008
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/343043.html

Introduction: CIA claimed that members of the spy service have deepened ties with some militant groups responsible for surge of violence in Afghanistan. Pak has dismissed these charges as 'baseless' and 'malicious'

US President George W Bush expressed his concern and some annoyance with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over the role of the ISI in Pakistan.

Defence Minister, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, who was also present at the meeting, said that Bush expressed concern that certain elements in the ISI were leaking information to the terrorists before they could be hit by the US or Pakistani forces. This is a cause of concern for the US side, he added.

Ahmed Mukhtar said the meeting otherwise was held in good atmosphere, and the US administration looked committed to support the civilian set-up.

"President Bush also asked who is controlling the ISI," the minister said, indicating that Bush was probably aware of the fiasco created by the failed attempt by the Ministry of Interior to take control of the ISI through a notification shortly before PM Gilani arrived in Washington.

Another source said Bush agreed with the Pakistani point of view that all parties in the Afghan conflict, the NATO forces, Pakistan and Afghanistan should take equal responsibility of meeting the terrorist threats. "Bush agreed that specific tasks must be identified for each party to meet and then the performance of each party should be assessed. Accusations against each other should not be levelled publicly," Bush was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the CIA confronted senior Pakistani officials with evidence showing that members of the country's spy service have deepened their ties with some militant groups responsible for a surge of violence, possibly including the suicide bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, The New York Times reported.

"We reject this report. This is unfounded, baseless and malicious," chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.

"I'd like to emphasise here that ISI is a premier intelligence agency, which has caught or apprehended maximum al-Qaeda operatives," Abbas said.

Gilani is in Washington meeting with Bush administration officials. In an interview broadcast on Tuesday on PBS's The News Hour With JimLehrer, Gilani said that to say that some in the ISI are "sympathetic to the militants, this is not believable. ... We will not allow that."

Interior Advisor to Gilani, Rehman Malik, has denied the allegations levelled by The New York Times. Talking to The News, Rehman said the Indian propaganda is an effort to malign Pakistan's supreme agency, the ISI, which has played a commendable role in curbing terrorism in all its manifestations.


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