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Intelligence Bureau (IB) is part of the Ministry of Interior of Pakistan. IB is Pakistan's main domestic intelligence and espionage agency. IB's tasks include counter-intelligence and Internal Security matters; under the latter heading, this translates into responsibilities in many area.
[edit] Powers
Although the agency has no formal arrest powers, suspects are often arrested and detained by law enforcement at the request of IB officials. In 1996, the IB was granted control of government censorship programs, controlling information dissemination via mail, wire, or electronic medium. The present Director General is Tariq Lodhi, who was installed IB chief on 12 April 2008, after former DG Ijaz Shah resigned from the post.[1] Other notable DGs include Maj (Retd) Masood Sharif Khattak, Colonel (Retd.) Bashir Wali, and Col. (Retd.) Habibullah Niazi.
[edit] History
The existence of IB predates the creation of Pakistan, as it was a part of the pre-war Intelligence Bureau of British India, and the present day IB was created from elements given to Pakistan upon independence. It was initially the main Pakistani Agency, with responsibility for strategic and foreign intelligence, as well as counter-espionage and domestic affairs. Its performance in the 1948 war was however considered less than exemplary[1] because the pre-independence Bureau was concerned with internal security matters, and was not set up for such its new remit. As a result after the war a new agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was created, and it took over the strategic and foreign intelligence roles.
[edit] Sources
- Jaffrelot, Christophe. A History of Pakistan and Its Origins. Translated by Gillian Beaumont. New York: Anthem Press, 2002.
- Jones, Owen Bennett. Pakistan: Eye of the Storm. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2002.
- Ziring, Lawrence. Pakistan in the Twentieth Century: A Political History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
[edit] Periodicals
- Gauhar, Altaf. "How Intelligence Agencies Run Our Politics". The Nation. September 1997: 4.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
