Following extreme pressure exerted by certain quarters, opposition and coalition partners, president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar on Tuesday withdrew his proposed draft bill pertaining to the accountability of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Senator Farhatullah Babar had submitted the bill in his own capacity in the Senate on July 5. According to the Senate Secretariat, the proposed draft, if adopted by parliament, would make the prime secret agency answerable before parliament and the prime minister.
The draft was taken back on the same day after facing extreme pressure from all ends, including, political, opposition and military, the Senate Secretariat added. Earlier, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had issued a notification to contain the role of the country’s superior intelligence agency by putting it under the Interior Ministry, but due to the military’s pressure, the notification had to be cancelled.
