Govt plans suicide attack on ISI?

After escaping, what appeared to be a suicide attack in the shape of memogate,  the Pakistan People Party government now plans effort to tame the country`s principal spy service the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) through parliamentary legislation and make it fully `answerable` to parliament and the government. Pakistan’s leading English newspaper  daily Dawn reported on Monday that a 19-page draft of a bill has been submitted in the Senate by president`s spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar and may be taken up during the session commencing from Monday (today).

Dawn said the proposed Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (Functions, Powers and Regulation) Act, 2012  suggests that the ISI should be answerable to parliament and the prime minister.

The newspaper said it recommends internal accountability and a better discipline system within the agency to put an end to enforced disappearances and victimisation of political parties.

The newspaper observed that t is for the first time that a serious effort is being made to streamline the affairs of the agency which has always remained under criticism.

The PPP government’s past suggest that it would make no delay to shun the idea of taming the ISI if it sees a new “scandal” is going to strike it.

The government had earlier dropped a plan to bring the ISI under the civilian control following the army reaction.

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