Faith, Unity, Discipline: The Inter-Service-Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan

The book "The Spymasters" provides insights into the under-developed and obscure agency, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and its role in regional politics. It reveals the organization's alleged links with Al Qaeda and the discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, as well as its involvement in Pakistan's testing of a nuclear weapon in 1998 and its links with A.Q. Khan.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 17 August 2023
Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd

Established in the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-8 by the Australian army officer Major-General Walter Cawthorne, who was then the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Pakistan Army, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) remained an underdeveloped and obscure agency for years. However, its growing importance became more apparent during the Soviet war in Afghanistan in 1979, as it collaborated closely with the CIA to support the mujahideen resistance. Although its activities received limited coverage in the news media, the ISI's influence expanded across the region. In 1988, its involvement in Indian Kashmir came under increasing scrutiny, and by 1995, its mentorship of what became the Afghan Taliban was well-documented. However, it was the organization's alleged links with Al Qaeda and the discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, located within Pakistan's military zone, that truly brought it into the spotlight. These controversies, along with many others, have plagued the ISI, including its role in Pakistan's testing of a nuclear weapon in 1998 and its connections with A.Q. Khan. Offering fresh insights into the ISI as a domestic and international actor based on intimate knowledge of its inner workings and key individuals, this startlingly original book uncovers the hitherto shady world of Pakistan's secret service.

Dimension: 225 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781805260349