Payback Time: Pakistan Outs (Another) CIA Agent
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency may not have a sterling record on locating famous terrorists, but they’ve proven adept at revealing the names of CIA agents. Back in December, the agency’s Islamabad station chief was forced to leave the country after receiving death threats, when his name appeared in Pakistani newspapers; and now – obviously as payback for the bin Laden business – the name of the current C.I.A. station chief has likewise popped up in the press. The New York Times reports that the operative, who is known to have been involved in the bin Laden operation, does not intend to decamp (possibly to deny that satisfaction to the ISI, with whom he enjoys a “particularly acrimonious” relationship). Meanwhile, Pakistani leaders are keeping up the how-dare-you routine, issuing angry but inscrutable denials that they harbored Bin Laden or knew he was in their midst. Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani told parliament today: “Pakistan alone cannot be held to account for flawed policies and blunders of others. It is disingenuous for anyone to blame Pakistan or state institutions of Pakistan, including the ISI and the armed forces, for being in cahoots with al Qaeda.” Convinced?
• Leak of C.I.A. Officer’s Name Is Sign of Rift With Pakistan [New York Times]