Sir: ISI. A name known (before Veena Malik made it more famous in her semi-nude pictures) and respected around the world. This is because the ISI denoted the secret weapon that Pakistan possessed that was to counter the Indian RAW, the Israeli Mossad, the Russian KGB and the American CIA. And it had performed spectacularly until the last decade when cracks started showing up in the ISI security when out of nowhere the Taliban forces started declaring the supremacy of their own law. Even the government realised that the ISI could not handle the problem and started negotiating with these anti-Pakistani Taliban forces that were allegedly financed by other spy agencies. An acquaintance of mine who had joined the ISI sometime ago once explained to me the present status of ISI. He said very eloquently: “The current ISI is divided into factions; each ruled by a different boss with his own agendas. The ISI is willing to do anything for anyone who will pay them, except they won’t let anyone take over the country.” I could not figure out if the last bit was only to watch my scared expression or if it was true, but I could see the actions of the ISI when I saw Blackwater or Xe company SUVs moving freely in Peshawar. When some of the houses in my neighbourhood were rented to them, I could see the results in the tit-for-tat bombing between the ISI and Blackwater operatives. The whole world could see the ISI’s efficiency when Osama bin Laden was shot in Abbotabad while Pakistan was asleep. The whole country could see the results of the ISI in the huge explosions that ate the latest (and very expensive) spy planes at the PNS Base in Karachi. All of this could still be forgiven on the basis that the US invasion of Afghanistan increased the interest of many dangerous organisations in Pakistan and the flood of attacks had overwhelmed the ISI. But it is just downright disturbing to read about the ISI picking up innocent Pakistanis — citizens that the ISI is paid to protect and serve. How can the ISI pick up a teenager, in-front of his parents, close to the capital of Pakistan, with no warrant and in clear violation of all Pakistani and international human right laws? But I guess the better question is, how can the chief of the army, patron of all the armed forces of Pakistan, upholder of the constitutional rights of each citizen, allow this breach of rights of innocent Pakistanis on Pakistani soil by Pakistan’s very own spy agency? It is his responsibility to stop this madness and control the ISI. DR AKEKH KHAN Peshawar