Both sides against the middle

摘要

The Inter-Services Intelligence directorate (isi), Pakistan's notorious military spooks, deserve credit for the audacity of their covert support for the Taliban, the enemy of Pakistan's greatest ally. But America's patience with the isi's double-dealing in Afghanistan is running thin. Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zar-dari, has given assurance that he will tame the isi. But a civilian with a dodgy past will find it hard to tackle what Pakistanis call Invisible Soldiers Inc.rnIn July the prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, tried to bring the isi under the control of the interior ministry. His decision was reversed within hours. But the army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, who has said the isi is trying to purge itself of pro-Taliban elements, has appointed a new isi chief, General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, to replace a loyalist of the former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf. The appointment, part of a broader top-brass shuffle, consolidates General Kayani's grip on the army.