A dangerous mix of humiliation and desperation is the prevailing mood in the Pakistani armed forces and it's Inter-Services Intelligence. This is in the wake of the death of Osama bin Laden in a clandestine chopper-borne raid conducted by United States naval commandos at Abbottabad, writes security expert B Raman.
The ATS in its probe through electronic and physical surveillance found that he was involved in anti-India activities with the network of the ISI handlers.
The 26-page lawsuit accusing the ISI of aiding and abetting the LeT in the slaughter of 166 people was filed before a New York Court on November 19, following which the Brooklyn court issued summons to Major Samir Ali, Azam Cheema, Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Nadeem Taj and Major Iqbal of the Inter-Services Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and and Hafiz Saeed of the Jammat ud Dawaa.
Following the 9/11 terror strikes, when the US had made up its mind to bombard Afghanistan, Pakistan''s Inter-Services Intelligence and then President Pervez Musharraf made full efforts to save the Taliban and tried to persuade a red-faced Bush administration to hold a dialogue with the Taliban, as the Inter-Services-Intelligence always regarded it as one of its strategic assets.
"The kind of terrorism, which is going on in Pakistan, is due to Kashmir issue," Hamid Gul, the former head of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) who is also believed to have created Kashmiri militants groups claimed in the CNN's Connect the World programme.
China supplied more than $20 billion worth of arms to Pakistan. These include 20 J-10CE and JF-17 Block III fighter aircraft, Wing Loong drones, frigates, submarines, Hongqi HQ-9P surface-to-air missiles, 240 PL-15E air-to-air missiles, LY-80 air defence systems, ZDK early warning aircraft and other weapons.
A confidential Spanish defence ministry report has alleged Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency helped arm the Taliban in 2005 for assassination plots against the Afghan government, media reports said. The confidential report, obtained by Cadena Ser radio and posted on the station's Web site, also alleges the Inter Services Intelligence helped the Taliban procure roadside bombs.
Four suspected Inter Services Intelligence agents were arrested by the Task Force police in Secunderabad on Thursday.
An explosion occurred outside a temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India, when a motorcycle-borne person threw an explosive device towards it, damaging a portion of its wall and shattering window panes. While no one was hurt in the incident, the explosion caused panic among residents. The incident has sparked concern about law and order in the state and led to accusations against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The police are investigating the incident and have collected samples from the site to identify the material used in the explosion.
Terrorism across India will continue as long as Pakistan does not end "its mischief" through the Inter Services Intelligence in places like the north-east, National Democratic Alliance convenor George Fernandes said on Thursday.
'If Pakistan's army wants to escalate violence in Kashmir, they have an unlimited supply of jihadis they can train and send. That's not an issue for them.'
General Musharraf had claimed that some ISI leaders have helped the Taliban.
India has declared 2025 as the year of defence reforms, aiming to establish integrated theatre commands to enhance synergy among the three armed forces and transform the military into a technologically-advanced combat-ready force. The reforms will also focus on streamlining acquisition procedures, promoting collaboration, and leveraging emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics.
'Had Haji Pir and/or Skardu been taken, the message would have gone out not just to General Asim Munir and his cohort in the Pakistan army but to the Pakistani people that every terrorist incident in India would lead to substantial loss of territory in PoK.'
About informing Haq three weeks prior to the Bahawalpur incident, Hamid Gul said that a report from ISI was submitted to him that Haq should restrict his movements.
Was Lieutenant General Ayman Bilal Safdar removed because he criticised army chief, General Asim Munir, asks Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
Whenever tenures of army chiefs were extended in the recent past, prime ministers were subsequently eased out of office by the same army chief, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
'It could take the form of sporadic LoC violation through heavy artillery and mortar fire, focusing on border villages where the Hindu Dogra population is predominant.'
"In the coming days if we see a political or constitutional upheaval in Pakistan, or an increase in instability, then we cannot rule out the possibility of another coup in the country," said defence expert Sanjeev Srivastava.
Former ISI DG Faiz Hameed's arrest sends a strong message to PTI supporters that Imran Khan's culpability for the May 9, 2023 violence could well be drawn within the purview of military courts, especially if General Hameed turns approver to save his skin, explains Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
'Pakistan's only concern has been while they were on the FATF watch list was to distance their State institutions and organs from any direct connection with the actual execution of militancy inside Kashmir.'
A senior official said that the state had sought several companies of paramilitary forces and these have been provided to maintain law and order situation.
A Pakistani court has disposed off a contempt of court petition filed against the Inter-Services Services chief and other senior officials by four civilian employees after the spy agency informed the judge that it had taken action to regularise their contractual employment.
The Pakistani military on Saturday dismissed as "absurd and baseless" a British newspaper's report that the Inter-Services Intelligence agency was behind a defamation campaign against Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Pakistan People's Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Raising concern over the nearly 1.25 crore feedback submissions received by the parliamentary committee scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Bharatiya Janata Party member Nishikant Dubey has called for a probe into their sources, including in the possible role of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and China.
The 'mediation' by the United States from behind the scene on the diplomatic track appears to be once again working, which calls on both Delhi and Islamabad to show restraint and pull back from a military confrontation, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'The larger and more opaque this shadow economy becomes, especially online, the greater the risk to India's national security.'
The Pakistani military on Friday dismissed as 'unfounded and baseless' allegations linking its spy agency Inter Services Intelligence to the abduction and killing of journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad and said the murder should be thoroughly probed by a commission.
Pakistan military on Wednesday dismissed as 'fabricated' reports that Pakistani-American David Headley, who confessed to plotting Mumbai attacks, had named three army and Inter Services Intelligence officials for their involvement in the 26/11 strikes, claiming that it was an attempt to malign security agencies.
Rana's confession would put Pakistan in a spot of bother, as once he starts speaking in court the names of several persons associated with the 26/11 attack and the planning behind it will come out in the open. The onus would then be on Pakistan to bring these persons to justice.
Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations has reacted sharply to a United States media report suggesting that a militant group with ties to the Inter Services Intelligence could have functioned as Osama bin Laden's support network in Pakistan. "Pakistan and its security agencies have suffered the most at the hands of Al Qaeda and have delivered the most against the terror outfit; our actions on the ground speak louder than the words of the New York Times," an official said.
A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) termed the report as false and fabricated, and said that they were aimed at maligning the image of the Pakistan Army and the ISI.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has undergone a significant transformation, evolving from hit-and-run attacks to carrying out sophisticated operations with tactical precision. The group's tactics and targets have become increasingly audacious, targeting security forces, Chinese nationals, and innocent civilians. Experts attribute the BLA's evolution to various factors, including the leadership of Bashir Zeb, the group's growing intelligence network, and its exploitation of the grievances of the Baloch people. The BLA's actions are a cause for concern, as the group's sophisticated attacks pose a major challenge to security forces.
A suspected spy from Rajasthan who was allegedly sharing photographs and details of vital installations in Bengaluru with his handlers in Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, has been arrested, police said.
Usually, the army chief sends three names for the coveted slot and the prime minister has the authority to pick any one of them, the report added.
De-centralised execution should drive the operational concept and support military strategy, under a unified command architecture. Enablers and technology need to be positioned first for such an activity to be undertaken, recommends Lieutenant General Anil Chait (retd).
State-run PTV quoted the Inter-Services Public Relations as saying that Kiyani will take up his new assignment once the President, who is seeking re-election in the October 6 ballot, gives up his uniform.
The FIR pointed out that the accused persons booked by the Central agency were instructed to hurl hand grenades at public gatherings and processions in order to create communal tension.
In a secret deal, Pakistan allowed American drone strikes on its soil on the condition that the unmanned aircraft would stay away from its nuclear facilities and the mountain camps where Kashmiri militants were trained for attacks in India, according to a media report.