Monday, June 04, 2007

A Strange Bit of News



Strategic Forecasting Inc – STRATFOR
- the private U.S intelligence firm had this to say last Friday:

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Pakistan: Shah To Be Fired
June 01, 2007 13 22 GMT

Retired Brig. Ijaz Shah, the current director-general of Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau, will soon be fired, Pakistani sources said June 1. Shah was allegedly working as a mole and is accused of consistently working to undermine the government of Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. In addition to coordinating efforts with Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry even before the legal crisis erupted over his suspension, he was responsible for issuing orders to raid TV stations and tarnish the government's image. This information has not yet been confirmed.

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This the strangest piece of news I’ve read in a long time.

Why?

As anyone following politics closely ought to be familiar with Brigadier (Retd.) Ijaz Shah’s name, reputation and background as:

- A close Musharraf friend and associate for many years, and a dyed in the wool loyalist of the General’s.

- Onetime head of ISI Operations in Punjab.

- A previous Home Secretary of Punjab (where, together with Major General Hussain Mehdi, then Director General, Punjab Rangers, he ‘delivered’ Punjab to Musharraf in the 2002 elections).

- A nominee of Musharraf’s as High Commissioner to Australia, only to have his nomination embarrassingly rejected by the Australian Government.

- From February 2004 onwards the powerful head of the Intelligence Bureau.

He was recently named along with the heads of MI and ISI - in the Chief Justice’s affidavit - as being present at the Army Camp on 9 March during the five hour period of unlawful detention that the CJ had to undergo on Musharraf's instructions.

In view of his staunch relationship with Musharraf, Stratfor's allegation that Ijaz Shah has been “working as a mole and is accused of consistently working to undermine…Pervez Musharraf” sounds quite implausible.

The only logical conclusion your Blogger can reach is that this deliberately leaked accusation is a product of possible infighting that might be taking place among the intelligence agencies as a result of a blame game for the regime’s disastrously bungled decision making.

Whether Ijaz Shah pays the price for all this, only time will tell.






6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can this be the reason why Geo TV and the News offices were attacked in Islamabad by the Punjab police? Though you are skeptical of this news item but no government in it’s sane mind could have attacked and ransacked the building of a news media with not only domestic but also international audience when the whole episode was telecasted live.

Anonymous said...

If IB was responsible for the stupidity of ransacking Geo TV in Islamabad,then who was responsible for the insanity in Karachi which led to over 40 dead, over 150 injured and a five hour gun siege of Aaj TV.

We will not find out in a hurry as Musharraf has refused point blank to hold an inquiry on who was responsible for Bloody Saturday.

It can't just the one Ijaz Shah involved, can it?

I reckon it is the lot of them, Shah included.

Anonymous said...

Ha Ha Ha - 3 lil piggies ( MI, ISI & IB)fighting it off - let the blame game begin.

Now let's see who makes it to the much venerated House of Tarts if elections are held at all. Between the Courtiers and Courtesans it will be a tough battle this time.

According to Terresita Schaffer. "When you
look at the whole scene, it seems to me that whichever of the
leaders-in-exile first tries to come home will be a winner"

Im Loving It

CheerS

Pakiavelli

Anonymous said...

ib is the most powerfull agency and also very hard working agency in pakistan

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Ben Moody said...

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