ABSTRACT
In this book, we have examined how ISI evolved from a bare-bones outfit responsible for assessments and CI to the multifaceted intelligence and security behemoth it has become today. Indeed, ISI is second only to the army when it comes to power and influence in Pakistan, for it is a servant of the army and implements national security policies formulated by army headquarters. Civilian governments have tried to supplant ISI or assume control of it, but the army has always ensured that these endeavors fail. Therefore, reforming ISI would not address the greater problem, which is the army’s propensity to interfere in the political life of the state. ISI is not just an intelligence and security agency, though, for it also plans and implements Pakistan’s UW strategy against India and Afghanistan. It is this latter mission that has focused international attention on ISI in recent decades with many accusing it of recklessness, jihadism and endangering a fragile peace in a nuclear-armed South Asia.
Throughout this book, we have explored those themes that permeate the warp and weft of ISI’s history, including:
Its evolving powers and capabilities both domestically and internationally.
Its role in an underdeveloped PIC.
Its use of UW to achieve national goals as defined by the army.
Its record in providing early warning of surprise attack.
Its decades-old liaison relationship with CIA.
Its frequent intervention in Pakistan’s democratic processes.
Its unlikely status as a “rogue” agency.
The failure of numerous Pakistani governments to rein in ISI and reform the larger PIC.
In the introduction, these themes were outlined as distinct questions to be addressed by the research. The following represent the key findings: