Accused of conspiring against President Zardari, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha is now in a fix. If he refutes the allegation by naming whistleblower Mansoor Ijaz, it would put a huge question mark over the credibility of his own statement in the scam. Amir Mir reports from Islamabad.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday appointed Lt Gen Zahirul Islam as the new chief of spy agency Inter Services Intelligence, reports stated on Friday.
Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha's recent visit to Qatar, home to the US Central Command's regional headquarters, has sparked speculation about an 'intelligence back channel' between Pakistan and the US to reset troubled security cooperation.
United States special envoy Marc Grossman on Thursday met Pakistan's top civil and military leadership as part of efforts to salvage bilateral relations following the covert American operation in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden.
The ISI's overwhelming involvement in national politics has weakened the mainstream political parties, given a boost to horse-trading and arrested the growth of the political culture in the country. Amir Mir reports from Islamabad.
Hours after controversial Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz failed to turn up before a judicial commission probing the memo scandal, a Pakistani parliamentary committee on Monday summoned him to appear before it on January 26.
The revelation was made by ISI officials during a three-hour briefing behind closed doors for the Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production on Thursday.
A Pakistani parliamentarian has demanded that Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha should resign following the claims that he travelled to Arab countries to discuss a move to oust President Asif Ali Zardari.
Inter-Services Intelligence agency chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha visited the United States to discuss intelligence coordination and not the resumption of military aid that was recently suspended by the American administration, the Pakistani military spokesman said on Saturday.
Central Intelligence Agency chief Leon Panetta has confronted Pakistan's military leadership with evidence of collusion between militants and security officials in the country, causing fresh strains in the troubled United States-Pak ties.
Under intense global scrutiny over his spy agency's failure to detect Osama bin Laden's presence in Pakistan, Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha has "surrendered" himself to Parliament so that he could be held accountable for any lapses related to the unilateral United States raid that killed the dreaded terrorist.
The Pakistan government will not grant any further extension to Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, whose current term ends in March, and is considering the names of three generals to replace him, according to a media report on Thursday.
A confrontation between the army and the government came to a head in Pakistan on Wednesday with the powerful army chief warning the prime minister's critical remarks against him and the ISI chief over the memo scandal could have "very serious ramifications" for the country.
Embattled Pakistani government on Monday said Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha had stepped beyond his jurisdiction when he briefed Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani about his meeting with memo scandal whistle-blower Mansoor Ijaz in London.
Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha on Tuesday left for the United States in a bid to revive security ties affected by recent events, including the suspension of USD 800 million of military aid to Pakistan.
The Inter-Services Intelligence should probe allegations of its involvement in the abduction and killing of journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad and stop interfering in affairs of the civilian administration, a noted columnist said on Wednesday in an open letter to the chief of the Pakistani spy agency.
Moderate Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq may have had a secret meeting with the head of Pakistan intelligence agency Inter Services Intelligence Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha in Europe, although he denies that.
Pakistan's powerful Inter Services Inteligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha on Friday offered to resign after admitting failure over the United States raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.
Pakistan's ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha has made it to the list of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world along with dignitaries like United States President Barrack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Pakistan's top political leadership was on Friday briefed by Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on the security situation in the country after suspected Taliban militants carried out a series of brazen attacks on military and police establishments.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has dismissed reports that he was considering a proposal to grant another extension to Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and said a decision on this issue would be made at the "appropriate time".
Pakistan government is seriously contemplating the removal of powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI head Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha against the backdrop of a standoff on a memo alleging an army plot to seize power, a media report said on Monday.
As pressure mounted on Islamabad to move against the Haqqani network, accused by United States of carrying out a spate of attacks in Kabul, Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha rushed to Washington to hold a quite meeting with the new Central Investigation Agency head Gen David Petraeus.
Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha has embarked on a secret visit to China that is being seen as part of Pakistan's efforts to reduce its dependence on the United States in the wake of strained military and intelligence ties.
Pakistan is preparing to block a lawsuit in a United States court that alleges complicity of its spy chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha in the audacious 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, on the grounds that it will pour "gasoline on the fire" of India-Pakistan relations.
Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha has embarked on a foreign trip to an undisclosed location against the backdrop of reports that he may step down over the debacle of the Pakistani military's failure to detect Al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden's presence in the country.
Pakistan's ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha held a secret meeting with former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in Dubai and advised him not to return to the country, according to a media report on Monday.
About the perception that the ISI was a rogue agency that was out of the civilian government's control and indulged in its own agenda, Pasha said, "I report regularly to the president and take orders from him." Many may think in a different direction, and everyone is allowed to think differently, but no one can dare disobey a command or even do something that was not ordered, he added
Insiders say that General Kayani's decision to extend Pasha's service has been made to ensure the continuity of the army's offensive against extremists in the troubled tribal regions of the country.
Former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha Pasha knew of Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed was in regular contact with the slain Al Qaeda chief, a media report said on Wednesday.
"We want good ties with all neighbours including India and Afghanistan," he told the Senators.
By weakening Sharif, the corps commanders could have a final say in important matters like relations with India, dealing with Taliban militants, interacting with Americans and once again achieving strategic depth in post-NATO Afghanistan. Which is why they may be behind the unrest in Pakistan led by Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri, says Shahzad Raza.