Senior PPP leader says intelligence agencies should have no 'political role'

Lahore, Aug 6 : Amid the ongoing row over ISI's role, or influence, in Pakistan's governance, senior PPP leader Munir Ahmed Khan has reportedly said that intelligence agencies should not have any "political role" since their basic objective was to protect the country against terrorism.

Khan said that the current government was a democratic one and intelligence agencies had no political role except fulfilling their basic objective, which was to eliminate terrorism from the country, reported the Daily Times.

He said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to the US, which was coincided with ISI row, had been very successful, and it would help Pakistan in getting 15 billion dollars in aid.

While Gilani was away in Washington on his first US visit, the country's intelligence agency ISI was put under the control of the federal home minister, and within 24 hours it was again put under the office of the Prime Minister. The episode brought a big embarrassment to the Prime Minister as it happened in his absence.

ANI