US senators wary about ISI's real intentions

Notwithstanding the recent arrest of high-value Taliban leaders in Pakistan in which the Inter Services Intelligence played a key role, top US Senators and officials have indicated that they continue to remain suspicious about the real intentions of the Pakistani intelligence agency in view of its links to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and other terror outfits.

Appearing before a powerful Congressional committee, top officials of the Obama Administration refrained from giving a clean chit to the ISI when several senators wanted to know if the Pakistani intelligence agency had snapped its entire links with terrorists and was no longer providing them any material or strategic support.

"I would refer any details to the closed session, but what I would say is that the ISI has, in many cases of counter-terrorism operations, been a very important partner for our intelligence agencies and actually contributed substantially to the capture of a number of high-level people from terrorist organisations, but I will reserve comment on any specifics to the closed session," Defence Secretary for Policy Michele Flournoy said.

Flournoy made the remarks when she was asked by Senator Joe Lieberman about the ISI in view of the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the second-in-command to Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar, in Karachi recently during a joint operation by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pakistani intelligence agency.

Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, had convened the Congressional hearing on the latest US operation in Southern Afghanistan and also the recent developments in Pakistan.

"As we have learned as we've gone to Pakistan a lot and talked to our people there, that this is a mixed picture with the ISI, so it's not all -- and that's saying something positive (is being done with regard to taking action against militants). In other words, it's not all negative," Senator Lieberman said. "It's not all negative."

"Yeah, the negative obviously is our concern that there continue to be contacts between some elements of the ISI and Lashkar-e-Tayiba and other terrorist groups, but on the other hand, it is reassuring to note that in this action (against Mullah Baradar) and others, that they have contributed significantly to counter-terrorist actions by our own intelligence or military forces," Lieberman said.

Ranking Republican, Senator John McCain, said the recent capture of Mullah Baradar and other high-value Afghan Taliban leaders is obviously a good news story.

"The question is, what does this imply about Pakistan's strategic orientation? Are the Pakistani army and the ISI taking a more aggressive stance towards the Afghan Taliban? I'd be cautious about reading too much into these positive recent developments, but am certainly pleased to hear it," he said.