ISI under complete civilian control: Zardari

Islamabad, Jul 31: PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and PM's Interior adviser Rehman Malik took the controversial decision to place the Inter-Services Intelligence under the Interior Ministry.

Sources said that the abortive attempt to put the ISI under the Interior Ministry, that created a storm in Rawalpindi last week, was meant to actually give its control to Zardari "as Rehman Malik is his most trusted person in the government." Not only the senior PPP leaders and the entire cabinet were kept in the dark, and no partner of the ruling coalition was taken on board in this decision, they added. "The entire cabinet was unaware of the major decision," a senior political source close to the cabinet said.

He said it was Zardari who decided to place the ISI under complete civilian control, "Gilani and Malik just tried its implementation, having the official capacities."

Since the cabinet was not in the loop, the question of any discussion on the issue even among a select group of ministers did not arise, The Post quoted the source, as saying.

The PPP leaders and ministers admit that the lack of consultation, in which all the pros and cons of the decision would have been reviewed, led to the colossal loss of face and faux pas.

"We will take a long time to overcome the myriad of misunderstandings and misgivings that have crept up between the powerful players," one of them said.

ANI