180508    11/28/2008 12:56    08ISLAMABAD3717    Embassy Islamabad    CONFIDENTIAL        "VZCZCXRO1696OO RUEHLH RUEHPWDE RUEHIL #3717/01 3331256ZNY CCCCC ZZHO 281256Z NOV 08FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABADTO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0407INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 9478RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 9170RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 4104RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 0702RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 6432RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 5290RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITYRHWSMRC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITYRUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITYRUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITYRUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY"    "C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 003717

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2018TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, PKSUBJECT: ISI DISBANDS ITS ""POLITICAL WING""

Classified By: CDA Gerald Feierstein, for reasons 1.4 (b), (d).

1. (C) Summary: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was quoted in the press November 23 saying that the political wing of the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) had been disbanded.  ""The ISI is a precious national institution and wants to focus on counterterrorism activities,"" said Qureshi. On November 27, Prime Minister Gilani followed with an official announcement that ""the political wing of ISI has been closed.""  ISI Chief Lt. General Pasha speaking to Embassy officers clarified that ISI was not getting involved with politics and this was being done on ISI's own initiative.  This move is the result of a natural rearrangement within the ISI and not - as the press seems to want to portray - a strategic shift or the result of external political pressure.  Directorate C, which has long been responsible for questionable political activities, will continue to exist and likely focus on counterintelligence and counterterrorism.  Curtailing ISI's political activities is a welcome move in Pakistan, where intelligence agencies have a perpetually negative reputation of meddling in politics. End summary.

2. (C) During a press conference in Multan on November 23, the Foreign Minister was questioned as to whether the ISI was meddling in political affairs.  Qureshi responded that the political wing had been made ""inactive"" and the personnel will be assigned to other offices, according to pressreports.

3. (C) In speaking with the DCM and visiting Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli on November 24, National Security AdviserMahmud Ali Durrani credited the move to ISI Chief Lt. General Pasha.  Durrani explained that the political wing hadactually been established under former Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.  He described ISI as a basically goodinstitution that can change based on how the political leadership chooses to use it.  Durrani said that Gilani had asked, in a non-confrontational manner, why the ISI should be involved in politics.  According to Durrani, Pasha had agreedand had shifted ISI work out of the political arena.  This follows steps by Chief of Army Staff General Kayani in 2007 to transfer serving military officers out of Musharraf-era appointments in the civil service.

3. (C) Pasha told Embassy officials that he was surprised that so much attention was being paid to the move.  Pashasaid that the Brigadier who had been in charge of the political wing (within Directorate C) was going to be movedon his normal rotation and the position would be left unfilled, thus ""deactivating"" the wing.  According to Pasha,this move was an ordinary one and not the result of any strategic restructuring. The political wing within Directorate C has long been responsible for political influence and taskings by politicians. Directorate C will now likely focus on counterintelligence and counterterrorism.

4. (C) On November 27, Prime Minister Gilani made an official announcement about the closing of the political wing.  He said the move ""would improve the effectiveness of the ISI as one of the premier institutions of national securityapparatus of the country.""  Gilani's statement was terse and did not reveal many details of the shift.  Newspapers continue to speculate about how Directorate C will shift its attention to counterintelligence and counterterrorism.  Also the commentators observe that political activity will become the responsibility of the Intelligence Bureau, a civilianorganization under the Ministry of Interior.

5. (C) Comment: The ISI's move to curtail political involvement is welcomed both by political parties and thepublic.  It is a step that will further Kayani's goal of repairing the military's reputation.  The move, explained by ""normal rotations"" in the same manner that Kayani used to replace former ISI Chief Taj with MG Pasha, does notnecessarily represent a strategic shift in focus or a major reorganization of the ISI. Though the political wing has beendeactivated, it could easily be reconstituted since the larger Directorate C, and its structure, are still intact. However, less ISI involvement in politics does create more political goodwill that will strengthen ISI's ability to pursue counterterrorism goals. End comment.

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