Farrukh Khan Pitafi’s Official Website

According to our defence minister and the Western press, during the prime minister’s US itinerary President Bush shared his concerns regarding the alleged Taliban appeasement by some elements in the ISI. This is not much. Since the genesis of the Taliban owed quite a lot to the ISI’s manoeuvres it is natural for some elements to feel some degree of affinity with the haunted group. The Red Mosque imbroglio and the sudden rise of the Taliban inside Pakistan, exactly at a time when the Western press had dismissed its impact inside Pakistan, certainly point in the very direction. This is apart from the fact that had the Taliban been a smart a state-actor it would have found it quite easy to penetrate the ISI for it is an agency which has already lost touch with counter intelligence. Want any proof? Well, has it ever occurred to you that how a highly classified document called the Hamood-ur-Rehman Commission Report found its way to an Indian newspaper during the reign of a military dictator here? Pakistan is a soft state and of course its intelligence agency is seriously prone to penetration for it is leaking like a battered septic tank.

Yet this does not mean that the ISI is the only group to blame. We all know that during the Cold War the CIA also has affinity to the religious militants. Some of the handlers are still associated with the agency. Add to it the fact that the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has a history of penetration into and the manipulation of the CIA. Unlike our intelligence folks Indians being a growing regional power take their chores far too seriously. During Karzai’s regime the chances have increased of such a manoeuvre for the CIA has to rely quite deeply on their Afghan guides who in turn rely quite a lot on the Indian moles for India owing to its JN Dixit Doctrine is the highest bidder in the region. Data can hence easily be manipulated. Yet I am not shifting responsibility. It is the ISI’s responsibility to do as much as it has signed up for. And apart from everything else to ensure that while it meets the government assigned international commitments, it does not allow itself to be used by a foreign power. The question then arises how to mend a leaking faucet and to ensure that none of the intelligence operative can use the agency’s resources for a personal agenda.

It is the place where counter intelligence steps in. During the Cold War era the world agencies used to attach considerable importance to the counter intelligence operations. In those days the barium meals were quite in vogue. The philosophy of the barium meals is that after developing a hunch about the geography of the leak to feed bits of important but not critical information to one segment only. A host of such pieces can be fed to various segments with the clear capacity to identify and then to wait for the leak. The moment that leak occurs you can conveniently identify the mole. This technique can be used both upside down and downside up. In this way even a mere field operator can also identify the culprit. Yet this is not the only technique available. As James Jesus Angleton of the CIA counter intelligence used to say you need patience of a saint to conduct such operations. In Pakistan’s case foreign intrusion is so severe that you may not find too much difficulty in identifying any particular strain. But this may also for a few months affect the ongoing anti-terror operations. The right question to ask is whether our Western friends would also have the same patience too. I believe they should display this much empathy for once such a counter intelligence manoeuvre has been completed and all malicious elements been weeded out what Pakistan may accomplish may put an end to all terrorism in the region. And the timing suits everyone too. August has already started and within no time winter will ensue. There fortunately exists a consensus among the intelligence agencies that during winters the operational capability of the Taliban remains all time low. Meanwhile the US and the rest of the West can address their own chinks in the intelligence armour. This ladies and gentlemen is the most serious need of the hour.

What can Pakistan do to improve its counter intelligence capacity? Well, honestly first of all it will have to understand that the times have changed and the intelligence agencies cannot be allowed to be used for political purposes. The first important step for us is to accept that no military regimes can prove trust worthy for the west and hence democracy is here to stay and to strengthen. The second important step is to bring all intelligence principals under one title. The US intelligence community now reports to the Director of National Intelligence whose responsibilities have been withdrawn from the CIA’s director. Perhaps we need to do any similar thing. I am aware of the sentiments of the armed forces on this. I clearly remember that when he was the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Ehsaan a former ISI chief was in favour of such a move. Unfortunately we witnessed a bit of a circus before the Prime Minister’s visit to the US when a clear attempt was made to bring the ISI and the IB under Rehman Malik. Given the degree of unpopularity Mr Malik enjoys within the country and the armed forces this was nothing but a damp squib. Again the ISI has nothing to do with the interior ministry and we do not need a Hameed Gul to know this much. Had someone other than Lt Gen (retired) Mahmud Durrani, Like Lt Gens (retired) Asad Durrani or Talat Masood or Gen Ehsaan were to become the National Security Advisor, he could also shoulder this burden.

The third and most important need of the hour is to develop a separate Directorate of Counter Intelligence with at least as much budget as that of the ISI. I know the ISI and MI also conduct or claim to conduct counter intelligence operations but this is an onerous responsibility and for the sake of the country’s survival we need a separate rubric for this. Time is very tricky and the leaking faucet can be mended on in this manner.

July 31st, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (4)

July 30th, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (1)

For a while I have been critical of the Prime Minister and the cabinet’s inability to tackle the multifaceted crises. Yet I believe that my criticism will lose objectivity if I cannot appreciate the good things done. I have been following the premier’s US itinerary quite closely and had been expecting that the meeting will be similar to Jamali’s foolish pat on the back rubbish. But it was not. No matter how many times GW Bush winks at his audience it cannot be denied that the Prime Minister conducted himself fairly well. In fact some of his statements against the possible US strikes inside Pakistan are the bravest by the recent Pakistani standards. If we could call ourselves a dominion during a military dictator’s regime, a weak political government could always sink even lower. But it was timely that Washington be reminded that the country could no longer take the vicious friendly fire from the allied forces. And it has been done. Well done Mr Prime Minister for not mincing your words.

July 30th, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

A couple of days ago Islamabad witnessed a mini coup. Yes everyone is talking of the star crossed notification to place the directorate of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) under the interior ministry which was apparently reversed a couple of days ago. Since I have a clear view on these matters I want to express them again here. But let me make a subtle point first. I have long been arguing that the only way to develop coherence and synergy among the intelligence agencies is to place them under one leader. (See my published column and blog post Making sense of Pakistani Intelligence Chief change ). If you read my quite old columns you may notice that I had even repeatedly argued in favor of stripping the then US Director of Central Intelligence of the ex-officio title of the head of agencies other than the CIA. This happened even though the first person appointed for the post of the Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte was not to anyone sane’s taste. But the CIA’s capacity to manipulate other agencies was almost compromised. Now what was the ideal arrangement for the change in Pakistani intelligence? To create the post either of the Director of Federal Intelligence or the National Security Advisor. The latter was recently created but no use. The wrong person got the post. Lt Gen (retired) Mahmud Durrani was appointed the National Security Advisor. In my opinionated view he is the wrong choice. The right choice would have been someone who knows the army inside out but has never abused his post. Two men come into my mind. Lt Gen (retired) Asad Durrani or Lt Gen (retired) Talat Masood. These men are best suited for the post and also to oversee the leadership of the Pakistani intelligence community).
Now regarding the news to place the ISI and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) under the interior ministry I have this to say. While the latter does have the charge of the internal intelligence the former can hardly be placed under the interior ministry. For one its name is Inter Services Intelligence and hence should be dedicated to such matters preferably. That means if there is one ministry which has its rightful claim it is the Defense Ministry. But that does not mean that it can simultaneously not be reporting to the PM or the NSA. It certainly can.
And now a word on Rehman Malik. Today perhaps he is the most unpopular man among the masses. His failure in saving in Benazir Bhutto will keep him unpopular with the PPP workers. The web of conspiracy woven against him regarding his implication in BB murder case will keep him a loathsome figure. He is unpopular with the PML-N because he is thought to be the man responsible for Nawaz Sharif’s election blues. The ANP also dislikes him for he is considered the man responsible for the unsolicited operations in NWFP and FATA. The Army and the defense establishment has been skeptical of him because he allegedly had links with the MOSSAD and the RAW during the last Bhutto ministry. And then the Interior Ministry is the such a big bureacracy that the interior minister can hardly do justice to this additional chore. Or else let there be a Cabinet Committee on Intelligence.

July 29th, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Leave a comment

Recently yet another senior al Qaeda leader spoke up on television and took responsibility for all crimes done. Yet if you take special pains to read any Western work on al Qaeda or Osama you will essentially notice a clear attempt at mystification. An organised group of devoted fundamentalists that is so accomplished in the knowledge of technical advancement that it can hoodwink perhaps the most skilled and well paid intelligence agencies. Yet existence and continued survival of such a force despite all odds defies logic. If al Qaeda is good at coded communication, does its skill surpass that of the US National Security Agency (NSA) which owing to its scope of activities and widespread suspicion is often called no such agency? Can you believe it? A ragtag group of fanatics with such overwhelming skill to match the prowess of the world’s most well equipped surveillance system. I do not doubt that a group of accomplished software engineers can wreak havoc but that is possible for a small group operating in a vacuum of power and attention, not the enemy number one of the world’s sole superpower. The NSA is indeed well-versed in code breaking and global surveillance operation. In presence of this and uncountable other agencies it is very difficult to misuse the internet and related technologies, especially because the net is essentially a Western invention.

I mean anyone who has the slightest experience of code breaking knows it is not child’s play. In contrast to this the NSA, perhaps the biggest US agency and most equipped too, has to its service the most stunning supercomputers you can imagine of. If al Qaeda were to communicate on the net through unbreakable codes that would take it even more powerful computers to do so. Ask yourself: can a group of sneaks accomplish that bit in the presence of the big brother watching? Again we should remember that there is a reason why there exists a digital divide with concentration of resources in the West preventing digital democracy. The US has never allowed the control or the surveillance of the net slip off its hands. Then why is it that al Qaeda’s audio-visual messages keep popping up on the net like rabbits in a hutch without giving away the location of their source? Folks, this is not fiction. It is pure fact. The internet as we know it today is an evolved form of the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), which was employed by the US Department of Defence during the Cold War for fear of a debilitating attack. There can hardly ever be any potentially malicious activity on the net which can pass without the big brother’s nose twitching.

Likewise, there are other powerful surveillance means available to the US. There is the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) with its extensive network of digital surveillance around the world and then there is the newly reconstituted National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (formerly National Imagery and Mapping Agency or NIMA). Just google these organisations and see the extent of funds and resources available to them. If the American government cannot get only a couple of facts right about its enemies despite this much expenditure then with due respect these institutions should be scrapped and the work outsourced to better foreign agencies.

Those who think that suspecting some complacence by a segment of American political class and the bureaucracy is a conspiracy theory should try to see the inadequacy of their own argument. A group of extremists who does not have the IQ level to interpret the Holy Quran in a non-violent and moderate fashion can wreak this much havoc despite its serious lack of resources and yet the world’s most powerful agencies, in spite of all their resources, fail to stop it. That is quite an astonishing proposition.

Unfortunately, there has been quite a serious attempt to craft a convincing tale about Osama’s life for there is hardly any prima facie evidence to prove that he ever took an active part in the Afghan jihad as is often suggested. No matter how convincing, do you know what this is called in the world of espionage? Legend building. Yes, legend building is the process in which a spy is given multiple histories to use as a cover when facing a probe. A simple process of reverse engineering. This essentially works to further mystify rather than clarify the matter.

Another attempt to mystify the terror group is visible from the amount of noise added to the discussion. When you want to get rid of some serious allegation it is quite convenient to let this allegation spin a bit and get ridiculously fictionalised. Will it then not be easy for you to laugh your way out of these allegations? Hence, a lot of trash on Osama and the mysterious group he commands. For instance, it is said to be a Jewish conspiracy because 4,000 Jews who worked at the World Trade Centre were on leave on the day of the attack. First, it is incorrect to believe that as many Jews ever worked in the building and then of course there was no such noticeable or dramatic absence for we know several Jewish men and women also died in the attack. What actually happened was that at the time of the attack some 4,000 Israeli citizens lived in the entire area of Manhattan. When the attacks came there was utter pandemonium all around and no one had a clue. In this situation the Israeli Consulate issued a note to all Israelis in the area to contact the mission. This note was picked by an Arab channel and misconstrued as a proof of complacence. This trend of blaming everything on the Jews is again an anti-Semitic gift of the West. But that is not all. We have inherited some other foreign prejudices too. There is a trend in the half-educated circles of the country to blame Freemasonry for everything. Unfortunately, no one realises that these groups are so big in size that to blame them en masse is to undermine the very faith in human virtue. Such noises only further work to impeach the credibility of genuine dissent. I believe that there is need for the mainstreaming of genuine concern and further investigation and demystification of al Qaeda through perhaps reopening of the 9/11 Commission probe. Otherwise, the world will remain bitterly polarised.

July 24th, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (6)

Travelling in a tube, a train or an airplane how many times has it happened that some fellow traveller shocks you with his or her rash outburst or sudden movement? Does your pulse race? Do you feel nauseated by the possibility of a terror attack? You know many people do. This is the legacy of the age of terror. And yet it is clear that you must have quite often thought of the distant lands being rummaged and ravaged for the search of the terrorists. How many innocents die in the name of the war on terror? And yet the more successful we feel the less safe we are. Why is it so?
There are reasons why the so-called war on terror is more complicated and deeply psychological in nature than the Cold War. The USSR had a clear face and clear interests. That implied that there was clear limit deterioration of the situation. That is no more the case. The phantom of terror knows no bounds. It can make two countries fight battles that are not theirs. And the terrorists in the post-modern age care two hoots about any state. What to do then? And above all, why is the ongoing war on terror failing?
There are various reasons to explain away the failures. There must be some who think that the war is failing because it fails to address the actual seeds of discord like Palestine and Kashmir. There are others who think that the current discord and degeneracy is a gift of the economic realities of today. Poverty breeds intolerance and extremism. Yet there are others who think that the US double standards on democracy and human rights are the reasons behind this mess. Why is the US, which would have done every bit to remove a dictator from its own backyard, actively support Musharraf and the Saudi despots? And then of course there is this explanation of the cultural shock and deficit where people are really frightened of the change brought by Western modernity. Well, most of these are valid points and should be kept in mind. But these are long term issues. If you are looking for a short term contingent factor, here it is: today the war on terror is marred by distrust and blowbacks because the US and its allies’ forces failed to nab Osama bin Laden and his coterie in the rugged terrain of Tora Bora. This is quite a giveaway. In other words, the US still finds itself capable of invading sovereign states because it failed to stop the disease from spreading. When does such a thing happen usually? Usually when the doctor does not want the patient to be cured too soon. Naturally, in view of the long term personal gain. Ask yourself, had Osama and his benighted friends been caught or killed in Tora Bora would the US have the mandate to keep invading as many countries as possible? But I do not wish to implicate the peace loving citizens of America or even most of their lawmakers. No sir, I have complaints against only a few, mostly unelected wily politicians and bureaucrats whose only excuse to stay in power is in the burgeoning environment of hatred and intolerance.
Those who perpetrated the heinous crimes of 9/11 wanted to provoke the US into a silly reaction that would make it appear unfit to lead the world or else to get engaged in a war which would only benefit a few and not the state itself. I was going through George Tenet’s autobiography and something kept occurring to me repeatedly. The al Qaeda is almost an exclusive discovery of the CIA if not its invention. Yet the point that stood out among all others was that the realisation and the response to the challenge came almost before the challenge itself. And with an exception everything came after George Tenet’s rise to the leadership of the CIA. This is saying something, for the world’s premier intelligence agency was facing a serious crisis of identity by then. The sole purpose of the CIA’s creation was fight communism and after the demise of the USSR there was no justification for its existence. Miraculously then the man who took war to the US belonged to a family of very close financial allies to a former Director of Central Intelligence and then President George Bush senior. And then the most terrible of all attacks took place during the days of his son George W Bush and George Tenet. I know coincidences can happen anytime but given the CIA’s track record these are one too many. George Tenet we know had long term connection with the neo-cons through his good old friend Newt Gingrich who wanted the US to wage World War III. And through this assertion I do not mean to implicate the field operators of the pickle factory. For anyone who recognises bravery their role for their motherland has been only too heroic. However, you cannot overrule the chances of the involvement of the desk at Langley.
On the other hand, if we take the CIA’s claim of being taken by a surprise on face value then we have to look into another serious matter. The post-9/11 assault on Afghanistan was quite well-conceived and yet Osama managed to escape Tora Bora. That would imply that al Qaeda had a contingency plan and was informed in advance of such a situation. And that in turn opens the avenue for the presence of mole(s) at Langley. Has the US done everything to stop such leaks or is it that the charade of counter terrorism has taken the needs of counter intelligence? I believe it is the latter if not my first assumption. The US intelligence community is badly bruised and needs time to repair itself. And at the same time there is a need to revisit the very rationale of the CIA’s continued existence. The CIA assets the world over can be imbibed by a new outfit charged with defending the homeland rather than anything ambitious like defeating or reinventing foreign threats. Meanwhile, the US influentials need to trust Pakistan more on the matters of fighting terrorism for the country is deeply embroiled in a battle of reform and can work out that bit without foreign involvement, which would only complicate matters further. The only thing Pakistan needs today is the unwavering support for democracy and discipline among the officer cadre. Reform and not mere belligerence is the only way to fight terrorism and extremism.

July 19th, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (2)

Everyone is now talking about a US invasion of Pakistani tribal areas. Those who used to laugh at my assessment that this is has to happen in the end are now parrotting the given lines on the television. The defeatist elements have already started parrotting that the country cannot and has no chance of resisting the assault. In short we, including our army, should act as an impotent herd of sheep and allow the wolf to attack us one by one. Simultaneously there is verbal attack from the puppet president of Afghanisatan Hamid Karzai. First it was ISI which tried to take his life. Then it was the ISI that attacked the Indian mission. And now he talks of Pakistan dumping the nuclear waste in Afghanisatan. I mean can you believe it? As the relations between Iran and the US improve it is clear that we are being singled out at least for a surgical strike.
Why are we being pushed to the wall? No one has a clue but whatever the reasons behind it, it is clear that while Pakistani intelligence is failing to read the American mind, the US has moles at every level and hence knows that Islamabad and Rawalpindi lack the emotional energy to take big decisions. Our strategy is clearly influenced by their disinformation campaign. We then are any better than an impotent herd of sheep?
But this assault if it takes place should not be taken as a mere tactical attack to maim the alleged terrorists in our border areas. No sir, no such thing. It should be treated as the part of the proverbial Rice Bowl Stratagem which necessitates that you repeatedly attack a country at its borders so that it is demoralized and then take the heartland. In any event you cannot deny the possibility that the US forces accidently pick one or more of our unconventional installations as target. Hence folks this is a matter of our survival and if we do not take the necessary steps we are doomed.
But frankly what steps can we take to protect us from the US assault? It is clear that Pakistan does not have parity with the US and cannot match a serious attack. But that is a mere iota of the real issue. Repelling a US attack may not be as serious a matter as standing up and ridding ourselves of the foreign moles. I observe it with great regret that the foreign penetration into our intelligence community has reached an unprecedented level. First the intelligence leadership needs to close the leaks. How to do so? There is a term called Barium meals. In order to identify moles it is important to feed the intelligence circuit with credible Barium meals. If the information still successfully leaks to any of the foreign handlers you can chuck the mole out. This needs to be done now. Likewise there must be a reason why whenever there is a chance of Musharraf’s impeachment we witness the US ready to attack us. Musharraf may or may not be a mole but he is a compromised leader and has shown that he can be used by the foreign powers for a final strategic surrender. He needs to be removed immediately then. If the forces of Pakistan are serious in protecting the motherland they need to act now. Letting Musharraf survive as President even for twenty four hours can cost us dearly. However if he is gone successfully you may be surprised to see the results as there will be no assault on our soil. Yet leave him there and you mark my words you have lost everything already. And you don’t need a full fledged coup or a civil war to do this… if you know what I mean!

July 17th, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (4)

I am terribly bored. And this I say in spite of the fact that only a few days have passed since my own birthday, a newphew’s birthday and my father’s death anniversary. I say this despite the fact that the doctor has just informed us that we are expecting another baby. Again despite the news that Pakistan’s conditions are becoming quite adventurous. The project I work for nevertheless seems still to be eluding us. I am sitting in Multan and wondering when this sordid state of affairs will leave me. Under utilised my energies and capacities seem to be leaving me for good. Television is boring too. Let us wait and see when things change. 

July 14th, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (1)

 I have told you a hundred times that my father was an army officer. We were raised to stand up when the national anthem played, to salute the flag, feel proud of the army that we hardly ever knew. I think I have told you earlier that there was a time when I would have wanted nothing else than to become a fighter pilot and to perish like Rashid Minhas. My myopia blew up the chance and perhaps a bit of my zaniness. It has nevertheless been ingrained in me not to doubt the intention of the army. For dictatorial rules I have learnt to blame the ambition and vileness in men rather than any flaw in the institution. For the concept of Milbus I have again found it convenient to blame the depravity of the human lust and perhaps the law of necessity. Did the Ottoman Empire not implode because the military officers were not allowed to own property or permanent interests? Did something of the same of the same sort happen to the USSR? These excuses have kept me loving the army and perhaps even living.
Unlucky for us that we grew up during the days of Zia regime. My older brother and sister still think that we have been raised in a fashion that we can never like the true democratic forces. Throughout my life I have tried to prove them wrong. But to them I am the odd one out, the traditional weirdo who exists in every family. To me, however, Zia was nothing other than a murderer. He employed an entire state’s power to kill an elected prime minister. He should also be remembered as the butcher of the Palestinians in Jordan. But to me he was the odd one out. Such anomalies do occur everywhere. Pakistan Army was benign in its essentials even though its leaders had power to hijack it. I was still a believer and a vociferous one at that. Today when I search my soul I am still the same believer. I still have the firm faith that the creases in the force’s discipline can be undone with carefully reasoned ironing. I really wish that I am not hoping for too much. More »

July 5th, 2008 | Category: General |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Comments (2)