Pakistan’s ISI Detained, Tortured Hundreds for CIA

Allowed CIA to Use Airports for Extraordinary Rendition

New reports confirmed that Pakistan was among the 54 nations actively participating in the CIA’s extraordinary renditions and tortures, but the details show an almost shocking level of involvement in the program.

The reports say that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, the military intelligence operation with virtual independence from both Pakistan’s military and its government, not only allowed the CIA use of their airports, but also detained and tortured hundreds of people on the CIA’s behalf.

This should perhaps not be so surprising, after all the CIA provides roughly one third of the ISI’s operating budget in any given year. But the revelation will likely add to the sentiment that the US wields undue influence in Pakistan.

This could well have a deleterious effect on the ruling PPP just months ahead of the election, though their abortive attempts at getting any oversight over the ISI failed, and they likely had no influence over the agency’s complicity in the CIA’s crimes.

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.