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CiteDaniel Markey on Pakistan
CFR’s Daniel Markey discusses U.S. policy toward Pakistan in our continuing podcast series, “Briefing the Next President.”
Interviewees: Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, CFR
Shuja Nawaz, Director, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council of the United States
Interviewer: Jayshree Bajoria, Senior Staff Writer, CFR.org
March 4, 2011
A breakdown in the intelligence relationship could jeopardize the war effort in Afghanistan and spell a serious setback to counterterrorism efforts in Pakistan's tribal areas. The two agencies, most analysts say, have been working closely, especially on conducting drone attacks targeting militants in Pakistan's border areas with Afghanistan. But they differ on some core issues such as Pakistan's interests in Afghanistan, says Shuja Nawaz , director of the South Asia center at the Washington-based Atlantic Council of the United States. The CIA also believes that the ISI continues to have links with some Afghanistan- and India-focused militant groups such as the Haqqani network, Quetta Shura Taliban, and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Markey says: "ISI has sought to wall off its interactions with the CIA" where "certain elements of the ISI coordinate closely and they are completely separated by internal institutional firewall from those elements of the ISI that do not cooperate with the CIA and maybe pursuing activities that are actually opposed to what the CIA would like." He adds that the Davis case suggests that the CIA may have taken a similar approach where "elements of the CIA are active inside Pakistan without ISI's knowledge" and perhaps without the knowledge of other branches of the CIA and U.S. government.
The frenzy and paranoia in the Pakistani media and among the public has further weakened an already fragile civilian government that is seen as pro-American. The top military officials from both countries had a secret meeting (ForeignPolicy.com) in Oman last month to find a way out of the crisis. Nawaz says both sides will have to compromise. Markey recommends the United States demonstrate to Pakistan its commitment to a "long-term improved partnership whereby Pakistan will have its core interests protected" and in return Pakistanis "will have to jettison their working relationships with extremists and militant groups inside their own society."
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