Leak of C.I.A. Officer’s Name Is Sign of Rift With Pakistan
By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-05-17 14:17:57 | Word Count: 664
The publication of the n
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ame demonstrated the tilt toward a near adversarial relationship between the C.I.A. and the Pakistani spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate, or ISI, since the Bin Laden raid. It appeared to be intended to show the leverage the Pakistanis retain over American interests in the country, both sides said.rnrnIn an address before Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani made clear that Pakistani officials at the highest levels accepted little responsibility for the fact that Bin Laden was able to hide in their country for years.rnrnInstead, he obliquely criticized the United States as having driven Bin Laden into Pakistan, condemned its violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and called the Qaeda leader’s presence in Pakistan an intelligence failure of the “whole world.”rnrnHe said it was “disingenuous” for anyone to imply that the ISI or the army was “in cahoots” with Bin Laden, something American officials suspect but say they have no proof of.rnrnThe prime minister’s statements, along with the publication of the name of the C.I.A. station chief, signaled the depths of the recriminations and potential for retaliation on both sides as American officials demand greater transparency and cooperation from Pakistan, which has not been forthcoming.rnrnThe Pakistani spy agency gave the name of the station chief to The Nation, a conservative daily newspaper, American and Pakistani officials said.rnrnThe name appeared spelled incorrectly but in a close approximation to a phonetic spelling in Saturday’s editions of The Nation, a paper with a small circulation that is supportive of the ISI. The ISI commonly plants stories in the Pakistani media and is known to keep some journalists on its payroll.rnrnLast December, American officials said the cover of the station chief at the time was deliberately revealed by the ISI. As a result, he was forced to leave the country.rnrnIn that case, the name of the station chief appeared in at least one Pakistani newspaper, including The News, a widely circulated English language paper. Subsequently, a Pakistani lawyer representing a family of victims of an American drone strike against militants in the tribal region included the name in a legal complaint sent to the Pakistani police.rnrnFrom that exposure, the station chief received death threats and quickly left the country, Obama administration officials said.rnrnThe new station chief had no intention of leaving Pakistan, American officials said.rnrnDescribed as one of the agency’s toughest and most experienced officers, the current station chief supervised aspects of the successful raid against Bin Laden, including the C.I.A. safe house used to spy on the compound where Bin Laden lived for five years.rnrnThe safe house was located close enough to the compound at Abbottabad for C.I.A. agents to gather details of the daily life of the Qaeda leader that helped the planning for the operation, Obama administration officials said.rnrnThe relationship between the new station chief and the head of the ISI, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, has been described as particularly acrimonious by officials familiar with their meetings.rnrnThe two men first clashed over the case of Raymond A. Davis, a C.I.A. contractor who killed two Pakistanis in January during an attempted robbery. He was detained by Pakistan for more than a month, despite arguments from the Obama administration that he was protected by diplomatic immunity.rnrnThe killing of Bin Laden, and suggestions by the Obama administration that officials in the ISI may have known his whereabouts and provided him support, have infuriated General Pasha, Pakistani officials said.rnrnGeneral Pasha, and the chief of the Pakistani Army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, were humiliated that the United States had deliberately not warned Pakistan of the raid, they said.rnrnIn what could be another flash point, Washington has asked Pakistan to give American officials access to the women who were at the compound in Abbottabad with Bin Laden and who have been questioned by the ISI since the raid a week ago. So far, such access had not been granted, an American official said Monday.rnrnMr. Gilani was the second official of the civilian government to publicly address the Bin Laden raid, while General Kayani and General Pasha have remained behind the scenes, limiting their remarks to a select group of Pakistani journalists last week.
