A Preface

     Imtiaz Gul's new book, The Most Dangerous Place, is a goldmine of information surrounding the relationship between the US, Pakistan, and the ISI. In the preface alone, the book reveals a tremendous amount about the situation in Pakistan.
     When General Petraeus and Admiral Mullen visited Islamabad in December 2009, they showered praise on Pakistan for their "cooperation" in military efforts on the Afghan front. Admiral Mullen even went as far as to say that the "United States had no evidence of the Pakistani intelligence agency's continued involvement with the Taliban or Al Qaeda."He realized that there was a lack of trust between the two sides but he claimed this was due to the US only recently befriending the ISI and Pakistan. Mullen and Petraeus were in Islamabad to lobby for Obama's new plan for Afghanistan, which required the full cooperation of Pakistan. By the time, the two had left, the US had promised an additional 30,000 troops at an annual cost of $30 billion.
     Richard Halbrooke made a statement where he summarized the preconceptions that are held about Pakistan:

1. Al Qaeda and the Taliban leadership are hiding in Pakistan
2. Terror groups attacking India, Afghanistan, and coalition troops in Afghanistan are using Pakistani territory as their base
3. Sections of the Pakistani military establishment continue to maintain contacts with, and support, some of these groups
4. Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of one of these groups
5. The military establishment continues to dominate the civilian government, thereby blocking its own reform

     There is a certain degree of truth to these assumptions but whether these preconceptions are right or wrong is besides the point, they still help drive people's fear. Yes, the Taliban is hiding in Pakistan and yes, the ISI is assisting these groups. But the Pakistani government fears that this is being used as an excuse for the US to come in and take away Pakistan's sovereignty. It's no revelation that terror group operate in the Wild West of Pakistan, but the ISI and the military are unwilling to confront these groups and continue to hinder progress. Pakistan's military is in control of nuclear weapons and the fears that the ISI might somehow hand off nuclear weapons are plausible but highly unlikely. The last statement couldn't be truer; the military control of the civilian government has been a problem since Zia-ul-Haq's reign and is one that needs to be solved in order for Pakistan to make some progress. The issue of the ISI is only one of the many problems that swirl around Pakistan; there is much work to be done.