Pakistani PM: ISI Chief Won’t Appear in US Court

Head of Secretive Military Spy Agency Won't Appear in Brooklyn

Responding to a Brooklyn summons asking Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Pasha and others to appear next month in connection with a lawsuit against the Pakistani government, Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani said Pasha would not appear.

The summons deals with a lawsuit filed last month in Brooklyn Federal Court accusing the Pakistani government in general and the ISI in particular of “complicity” in the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai. The lawsuit was brought by relatives of two of the victims.

In addition to the ISI and the government, the banned Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) organization was also named in the suit. LeT has been accused of being behind the attack though the organization has denied any direct involvement.

The lawsuit is expected to generate considerable publicity against Pakistan at a time when the Obama Administration is said to be mulling a ground invasion of northern Pakistan. It seems unlikely, however, that enough evidence can be brought to bear to prove ISI involvement in the attack.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.