The Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) needs reform but there is no indication this is happening yet, the top US diplomat for South Asia said on Monday.
"It has to be done," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said of revamping the ISI. Asked if he had seen signs of reform, he told Reuters, "No, I don't have anything in particular I would point to right now."
Despite its supposed help in supposedly fighting Al Qaeda, the ISI is viewed with deep suspicion by US for retaining links to the Taliban.
Pakistan's new government led by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tried to rein in the ISI in July by placing it under the Interior Ministry's control, only to reverse course within days in an embarrassing flip-flop.
Asked why the new Pakistani government was more likely to act than under its predecessor, General (r) Pervez Musharraf, Boucher replied, "It's sad to say, but the problem has become more and more acute."
Pointing to growing militant violence inside Pakistan, Boucher said, "Increasingly, the problem is not seen as doing what the US wants but doing what is necessary for the future of Pakistan." |