ISLAMABAD - A key ally of President Pervez Musharraf has been dropped from his position as head of one of the countryÂ’s top intelligence services, the military said Wednesday.| So long, Perv, nice knowing you. Say 'hello' to the fishes for us ... |
MI is one of PakistanÂ’s three main spy agencies. The others are Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which is also run by the army, and the Intelligence Bureau, which is a civilian organisation.
| Gee, the army dominates the intelligence services. Guess that's why the army chief is the most powerful man in the country, not the president ... |
Analysts said Ejaz was a close confidante and a relative by marriage of key US ally President Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999 and was army chief until November last year.
Musharraf appointed Ijaz in 2006. Under Ijaz, MI assumed a greater role in the countryÂ’s political affairs and Ijaz was one of the key witnesses when Musharraf controversially suspended the countryÂ’s chief justice in March 2007.
Asif, by contrast, is close to Kayani, who took over from Musharraf last year and has since set about reducing the armyÂ’s role in politics to focus on tackling Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
The MI chief is supposed to be the eyes and ears of the army chief, analysts said.
| Letting the chief know about all sorts of interesting things ... |