Issue of placing ISI under civilian control shelved: Zardari

Political forces in Pakistan want the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency to be placed under civilian control but the matter has been put on the backburner for the time being, President Asif Ali Zardari has said.

Islamabad: Political forces in Pakistan want the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency to be placed under civilian control but the matter has been put on the backburner for the time being, President Asif Ali Zardari has said.

"The political forces want the ISI should be brought under civilian control but for the time being, this matter has been shelved," Zardari said in an interview with a TV news channel.

He did not give the reasons for the issue being shelved.

The government led by Zardari`s Pakistan People`s Party had attempted to place the ISI under the control of the Interior Ministry in July last year but the decision was reversed following opposition from the powerful army.

Zardari also said the "non-state actors" he had mentioned in his speech on the second death anniversary of former premier Benazir Bhutto last month were behind the recent attack on a Shia procession in Karachi that killed 43 people.

The "non-state actors" had responded to his speech by carrying out the attack, he said.

Zardari also said certain "political actors" were conspiring against the government but he had "political weapons" that would be used at the appropriate time to foil such plans.

In his speech on December 27, second anniversary of Benazir, Zardari had accused the "non-state actors" of being behind conspiracies to break up Pakistan.

He had not identified these elements, sparking widespread speculation in political circles here about who he was referring to.

Zardari said there is complete harmony between the army and civilian leadership on the military operation against the Taliban in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

The opinion of the military establishment has always been heard and heeded, he said.

Answering a question on whether there is a threat to his life, Zardari said: "A number of heads of states had been killed in the past and such a threat cannot be ruled out...I am being provided security and protocol as the head of the state."

In response to another query on his decreasing popularity, he said: "I know my popularity graph is going down but if we do not take some harsh decisions at this moment, our next generation will not forgive us."

Zardari also said the PPP believed that slain Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud was responsible for plotting the assassination of his wife, former premier Benazir Bhutto.

PTI

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