Inter-Services Intelligence

The Inter-Services Intelligence was established in 1948 by officers of the Pakistan Army after the First Kashmir War, the first of several Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts. It was the brainchild of Brigadier Syed Shahid Hamid who became its first Director-General.[14]

The Kashmir War had exposed weaknesses in intelligence gathering, sharing, and coordination between military branches and Pakistani Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Military Intelligence (MI). The ISI was thus established to be operated by officers from the newly independent Pakistan's three main military services, and to specialize in the collection, analysis, and assessment of external military and non-military intelligence.[15]

Naval Commander Syed Mohammad Ahsan, who served as Deputy Director Naval Intelligence of Pakistan and helped formulate ISI procedure, undertook and managed the recruitment and expansion of the ISI. After the 1958 coup d'état, all national intelligence agencies were directly controlled by the president and Chief Martial Law Administrator. The maintenance of national security, which was the principal function of these agencies, resulted in the consolidation of the Ayub regime. Any criticism of the regime was seen as a threat to national security.[16]

The ISI is headquartered in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. The complex consists of various low-rise buildings separated by lawns and fountains. The entrance to the complex is next to a private hospital. Declan Walsh from The Guardian stated that the entrance is "suitably discreet: no sign, just a plainclothes officer packing a pistol who directs visitors through a chicane of barriers, soldiers, and sniffer dogs".[17] Walsh noted that the complex "resembles a well-funded private university" and that the buildings are "neatly tended," the lawns are "smooth," and the fountains are "tinkling." He described the central building, which houses the director general's office on the top floor, as "a modern structure with a round, echoing lobby".[18]

On 5 July 1977 through Operation Fair Play, the ISI began collecting intelligence on the Pakistan Communist Party and the Pakistan Peoples Party.[19] The Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s saw the enhancement of the ISI's covert operations. A special Afghanistan section known as the SS Directorate was created under the command of Brigadier Mohammed Yousaf to oversee day-to-day operations in Afghanistan. The ISI's black ops unit is the Covert Action Division. Officers from the Covert Action Division received training in the United States, and "many covert action experts of the CIA were attached to the ISI to guide it in its operations against Soviet troops by using the Afghan Mujahideen".[20]

Many analysts (mainly Indian and American) believe that the ISI provides support to militant groups, though others think these allegations remain unsubstantiated.[21][22]

The ISI has often been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks across India including militancy in Kashmir, the July 2006 Mumbai Train Bombings,[23] the 2001 Indian Parliament attack,[24] the 2006 Varanasi bombings, the August 2007 Hyderabad bombings,[25] and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.[26][27]

The ISI has been accused of supporting Taliban forces[28] and recruiting and training mujahideen[29] to fight in Afghanistan[30] and Kashmir. Based on communication interceptions, US intelligence agencies concluded Pakistan's ISI was behind the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul on 7 July 2008, a charge that the governments of India and Afghanistan had laid previously.[31] It is believed to be aiding these organizations in eradicating perceived enemies or those opposed to their cause.[32][33] Satellite imagery from the Federal Bureau of Investigation[34] suggested the existence of several training camps in Pakistan, with at least one militant admitting to being trained in the country. As part of the ongoing Kashmir conflict, Pakistan is alleged to be backing separatist militias.[35] Many nonpartisan sources believe that officials within Pakistan's military and the ISI sympathies with and aid Islamist militant and insurgent groups, saying that the ISI has provided covert, but well-documented support to separatist groups active in Kashmir, including Jaish-e-Mohammed.[36]

General Javed Nasir confessed to assisting the besieged Bosnian Muslims.[37] The National Intelligence Coordination Committee (NICC) of Pakistan is headed by the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence. The overarching intelligence coordination body was given assent by the Prime Minister of Pakistan in November 2020. It held its inaugural session on 24 June 2021, marking the date the committee became functional.[38]