A leaked British ministry of defence document states that Pakistan's secret service agency, the Inter Services Intelligence, is unreliable in the war on terror.
The document, prepared by a military officer attached to Britain's secret intelligence service MI6, in fact suggests that the ISI's dismantling would lead to an improvement in the West's security, reports The Daily Telegraph, London.
'Indirectly, Pakistan (through the ISI) has been supporting terrorism and extremism -- whether in London on July 7, 2005, in Afghanistan or Iraq. Pakistan is not currently stable but on the edge of chaos,' the document adds. Britain should exploit the rapport between the senior generals in both the armies to get Musharraf to resign, loosen the military's hold on power and lead the way to democracy, the report adds.
Questioning the ISI's role in the war on terror, the leaked document states that while Pakistan helped prevent attacks on the West, the former was actively backing the Taliban in Afghanistan and encouraging the rise of religious extremism in Pakistan.
Musharraf, who was in London to meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday, was quick to criticize the document. 'The ISI is a disciplined force, breaking the back of the Al Qaeda,' he said. 'I take exception, and reject it from anybody, MoD, or anyone who tells me to dismantle the ISI.'
A British statement said the 'academic research notes in no way represent the views of either the MoD or the government.' The leak of the MI6 document, it said, was a mischievous attempt at portraying preliminary inquiries as government policy. 'To represent it as such is deeply irresponsible and the author is furious that his notes have been willfully misrepresented.'