Pakistan: Dismantling the Political Wing of the ISI

The Pakistani government has dismantled the political wing of the military’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters Nov. 23. The move is designed to offset criticism that Pakistan would do a much better job managing its terrorism troubles if it were not so focused on spying on political rivals at home. Though the decision to abolish the ISI’s political unit gives the impression that civil-military relations in Islamabad are improving, the military is not about to become subservient to a weak and fractured civilian government. Real progress on the terrorism front depends on Pakistan’s willingness and capability to purge the ISI of Islamist militant sympathizers, and the government’s weakening ability to balance socioeconomic concerns with its battle against the jihadists.