Word: interior
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...alleged links to Islamist militants, and as Gilani boarded his flight to Washington on Saturday, his government suddenly announced that the ISI - Pakistan's premier military intelligence agency - and its civilian counterpart, the Intelligence Bureau, would be placed under the "administrative, financial and operational control" of the Ministry of Interior. Although until now the ISI had been nominally under the administrative control of the Prime Minister, it has throughout its 60 years operated in notorious secrecy and with negligible civilian oversight. "The move would have opened up the ISI's finances and operations to scrutiny," said Ayesha Siddiqa, an independent...
...Sunday, during a London stopover by Gilani and his retinue of ministers and aides, a clarification was issued. The earlier announcement had been "misinterpreted," it said, and had only intended to "re-emphasize more coordination between the Ministry of Interior and ISI in relation to war on terror and internal security." Pressure for the about-face had come from the army, according to Mushahid Hussain, a prominent senator and ally of President Pervez Musharraf, the former military chief whose supporters were beaten at the polls by the current government. "Two major phone calls were put in to the Prime Minister...
...misfired and became a boomerang to hurt them." The PPP did not help its case by the manner in which it proceeded. Neither the parliament nor the coalition's junior partners were consulted. And in choosing to cede control of the ISI to Rehman Malik, the effective Minister of Interior, instead of tightening his own grip, Gilani was left looking weak...
...Baghdad in the past few months has warned, "We'll be back." But when? And if they're only resting, then does that mean the government has less control over the restless opposition hotbed than it has claimed? "The government is in full control of Sadr City," says the Interior Ministry official, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the press. "There are still a few [Mahdi Army fighters], but they have no influence and they cannot act because we are fully in control of them...
...chanting, "No to America! No to the agreement! No to the occupation!" Saadi, the MP, says the Mahdi Army will never turn violent in Sadr City again. But he says it could carry out more demonstrations "if the government pushes the people and doesn't fulfill its promises." The Interior Ministry official is more wary, saying, "People want services like electricity, water and medical care ... They are fed up with the military in the streets. And don't forget that Sadr City is a very big district and [the residents] are almost under siege. They have very few ways...