‘Contacts with anti-state spies’: IB seeks dismissal of ‘frivolous’ petition

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–IB says details will compromise national security 

In a response to a petition registered in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on Saturday demanded the court to dismiss the petition as it compromises national security and is ‘unnecessary’.

It said, “If the required information is submitted to the court, the secret details will become a public document, which can potentially deteriorate the country’s foreign relations.”

A serving assistant sub-inspector of the IB had submitted a petition in the court, saying that there was a nexus between the several IB officers and subordinate staff members with the anti-state intelligence agencies, asking the court for a probe into it through the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Geo News reported that the IB responded to the court, saying that disclosing the details of its secret operation will harm the department’s performance, adding that “the petition should be dismissed on the grounds of being frivolous, as it demands the disclosure of details pertaining to secret operations and task objectives”.  “If disclosed, these details will compromise national security as they will expose the administrative units of the department.”

The response further said that the Bureau is a part of the federal legislative list linked to the security of Pakistan and it is classified as a division on the federal level; however, it has not been notified as one due to the secretive nature of its operations. All of IB correspondence is a national secret; its functionaries are secret and the IB notifications are not published in the in Gazette of Pakistan either, the response further said.

“The additional documents attached to the writ petition are a violation of service rules,” the response says. “Employees of the department are not allowed to retain copies of reports based on confidential information.”

IB reply said that petition should be dismissed on the grounds of being frivolous and the petitioner’s act has created a nuisance for the department by filing 14 ‘unnecessary’ petitions.