Intelligence Bureau

Agency overview
Formed	1830
Preceding agency	Central Intelligence Bureau
Jurisdiction	Pakistan
Headquarters	Islamabad, Pakistan
Motto	Security, Integrity, Sovereignty
Agency executive	Fuad Asadullah Khan H.I.,S.St.,T.St.,Director General

TheIntelligence Bureau (Urdu: انٹیلی جنس بیورو) is Pakistan’s premier civilian domestic intelligence agency, operating under the administrative control of the Prime Minister’s Office. It is primarily responsible for collecting, analysing, and disseminating intelligence related to internal security, counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, and economic threats. Established in 1947 following Pakistan’s independence, IB traces its institutional origins to the colonial era Thuggee and Dacoity Department founded in 1830 under British rule. Over the decades, IB has evolved into a key component of Pakistan’s national security architecture, tasked with safeguarding sensitive government institutions, monitoring subversive and extremist activities, and supporting law enforcement agencies in maintaining internal stability. In 2024, the organization was elevated to the status of a Division, marking a significant milestone in its development.^[1]

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) traces its origins to 1830, when the Thuggee and Dacoity Department was established by the British colonial administration under Captain William Henry Sleeman, appointed as General Superintendent by Governor-General Lord William Bentinck. Its primary mandate was to suppress organized gangs ofthugs anddacoits who targeted caravans and traders across the Indian subcontinent.^[2]

In 1863, following the reorganization of police forces, the department was retained under the Foreign Department to operate in the Native States. Its role was expanded to include the collection of intelligence on organized crimes that transcended provincial and state boundaries. By 1887, the department’s mandate was formally broadened to collect, compare, and analyze intelligence on organized criminal networks, providing inputs to both local and imperial governments to aid in the maintenance of law and order.

In 1904, it was restructured and renamed the Central Criminal Intelligence Department, with H. A. Stuart appointed as its first Director and D. E. McCracken as Deputy Director.^[3]  The Central Criminal Intelligence Department's functions were widened to include intelligence gathering on inter-provincial organized crime, currency forgery, arms trafficking, and the maintenance of a central fingerprint bureau for criminal records.

In 1912, the organization was redesignated as the Central Intelligence Bureau, with an expanded charter encompassing political intelligence, particularly regarding political movements, Afghanistan, and investigations into political crimes.^[4]

By 1935, the Central Intelligence Bureau's responsibilities extended further to include the protection of sensitive government records, inquiries into security-related matters, and the provision of regular intelligence briefings to provincial governors on the political and administrative situation in their territories.

Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Central Intelligence Bureau was reorganized as the Intelligence Bureau, with its headquarters initially established in Karachi under its first director, G. Ahmed. The headquarters were later moved to Rawalpindi in 1962.

A significant reorganization took place in 1994, when the bureau was restructured on the pattern of the national police system, expanding its presence across the country. The nomenclature of officers and officials was standardized, and this structure continues to remain in place.

In 2015, the bureau underwent a major modernization and expansion phase, introducing advanced technical infrastructure, surveillance systems, and the establishment of specialized counter-terrorism investigation teams trained to address threats to national security in a systematic manner.^[5]

In August 2018, Shujaat Ullah Qureshi became the first career IB officer to be appointed as Director General.^[6][7]

In 2024, the bureau was formally elevated to the status of a division, marking a milestone in its institutional development and operational independence.^[8]

The Intelligence Bureau Division operates directly under the Prime Minister, who serves as its Minister-in-Charge. It has a centralized command structure headed by the Director General (DG), who is a grade-22 officer and ex-officio Federal Secretary. The DG is supported by senior officers and specialized operational and administrative wings.

The Bureau is organized into a number of specialized Wings, and field units; each responsible for specific intelligence domain and area of responsibility. Some of the major wings of the organization deal with subjects like domestic counter intelligence; countering terrorism through collecting and analyzing intelligence on terrorist/extremist networks, and militant activities; internal security; economic intelligence focusing on financial crimes, economic threats, hoarding, smuggling, and financial intelligence gathering; foreign liaison; technical operations; research and analysis.

The Intelligence Bureau has a hierarchical personnel structure with ranks corresponding to Basic Pay Scales (BPS). The DG (BPS-22) serves as the head of the organization, supported by multiple tiers of command and operational officers. Recruited officers undergo structured training at the Intelligence Bureau Academy, preparing them for both operational and analytical roles within the organization.

Since Pakistan’s independence in 1947, Intelligence Bureau Pakistan has been led by a succession of heads drawn from military as well as civilian backgrounds. Traditionally, the head of the agency held the title Director, but starting in December 1994 the title was changed to director general, a BS-22 officer who reports directly to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Following the 2024 elevation of the Intelligence Bureau to the status of a division of the federal government, the director general also serves as the ex-officio Secretary to the Intelligence Bureau Division.^[8]

Sr. No.	Portrait	Director IB	From	To
1		G. Ahmed, PSP	1947	1949
2		S. Kazim Raza, PSP	1949	1953
3		M. H. Khan Bangali, PSP	1953	1957
4		M. Anwar Ali, PSP	1957	1960
5		A. B. Awan, PSP	1960	1967
6		N. A. Rizwi, PSP	1967	1971
7		M. Anwar Ali, PSP	1972	1973
8		M. Akram Sheikh, PSP	1973	1977
9		M. Saghir Anwar, PSP	1977	1979
10		Kh. Masrur Hussain, PSP	1979	1985
11		Maj. Gen. Agha Nek Muhammad	1985	1986
12		M. Aslam Hayat, PSP	1986	1988
13		Sardar Noor Elahi Leghari, PSP	1989	1990
14		Brig. (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmed	1990	1993
15		Sardar Noor Elahi Leghari, PSP	1993	1994
16		Major (Retd) Masood Sharif Khan	1994	1996
17		Major General (Retd) Talat Munir	2001	2003
18		Brig. (Retd) Ijaz Ahmad Shah, HI, SI(M), T.Bt	2004	2008
19		Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Suddle, PSP	2008	2009
20		Javed Noor, PSP	2009	2011
21		Aftab Sultan, PSP	2011	2018
22		Shujaat Ullah Qureshi, IB	2018	2018
23		Dr. Muhammad Sulaman Khan, PSP	2018	2022
24		Fuad Asadullah Khan, H.I., S.St., T.St., nsc	2022	Present

Throughout IB’s history, a number of its personnel have lost their lives in the line of duty. Their sacrifices reflect the Bureau’s continuous involvement in sensitive security operations and its role in supporting the state’s internal security framework.

Officers in Basic Scales (BS) 16 and 17 are recruited through the Federal Public Service Commission. The selection process typically involves a multi-stage examination, beginning with a multiple-choice screening test, followed by an English descriptive examination, a psychological assessment, and a final interview.

Personnel in BS-14 and below are generally inducted through internal recruitment processes. Upon selection, all new recruits undergo structured training programmes conducted at the Intelligence Bureau Academy. The training curriculum is designed to build operational, analytical, and field intelligence skills required for service in the organization and involves rigorous physical training.

Details of some of the operations undertaken by IB are given below:In 1989, IB exposed a plot aimed at toppling Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s government through a vote of no confidence. Acting on intelligence that two serving ISI officers, Brigadier Imtiaz Ahmed and Major Mohammad Aamer, were attempting to bribe Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentarians.^[9]

In April 2010, IB allegedly recruited Madhuri Gupta, a Second Secretary in the press and information wing of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, who was later arrested in New Delhi on espionage charges.^[10]

In 2013, IB apprehended three members of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Karachi who were directly involved in the bombing attack on Justice Maqbool Baqir of the Sindh High Court. The operation dismantled a key sectarian terrorism cell operating in the city and was regarded as a major counter-terrorism success in Karachi’s security crackdown.^[11] In 2019 after Indian airstrikes in Pakistan's Balakot, IB managed to bust whole ring of local informers that mapped and provided crucial operations to Indian RAW which helped IAF in locating its targets.^[12]

In July 2021, IB disrupted a foreign intelligence network operating in Pakistan. A militant, Salimullah, was apprehended while filming strategic military installations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequent investigation led to the exposure of an espionage network allegedly directed by an Indian intelligence operative based in Germany. According to official sources, the network had recruited individuals across Pakistan through fake social media profiles and tasked them with collecting information on sensitive military sites.^[12]

In early 2022, intelligence gathered by IB led to the prevention of an attempted attack on the President of Pakistan during the annual Sibi Mela. Security measures were enhanced in advance of the visit, forcing the attackers to detonate their explosives after the President had departed, resulting in the deaths of security personnel but averting a larger tragedy.^[13]

In 2022, IB led an operation against Bilal Sabit Gang, a criminal network involved in hundreds of armed robberies, vehicle thefts, and targeted killings in major Pakistani cities. The group had reportedly maintained ties with ISKP, which claimed responsibility for several of the killings. Following the assassination of an Intelligence Bureau officer in Peshawar in May 2022, the Bureau intensified its pursuit of the group. High-value targets, including senior members and the gang’s ring leader Bilal Sabit, were neutralized during operations in Rawalpindi.^[14]

In March 2025, the Intelligence Bureau, in coordination with the Federal Investigation Agency (Pakistan), conducted a major operation against a transnational human-trafficking syndicate, resulting in the arrest of ringleader Usman Ali Jajja from Sialkot. Jajja and his network were accused of extorting Rs 39.3 million from 19 Pakistani migrants under false promises of employment in Italy, later abandoning them in Libya. The crackdown followed a December 2024 migrant boat tragedy in the Mediterranean and led to multiple criminal cases under anti-smuggling and emigration laws, marking a significant action against organized human trafficking in the country.^[15]

In the 1990s, Intelligence Bureau was frequently accused of being used for political purposes by successive governments. The agency gained notoriety for allegedly surveilling and harassing journalists, judges, and opposition politicians. During court proceedings in the mid-1990s, it was revealed that the IB had engaged in extensive telephone tapping of political opponents and members of the judiciary, drawing criticism from civil society and the media. In later years, the organization moved to reduce its political visibility, with no major disclosures of similar activities reported in the public domain. Former officials have stated that the agency deliberately avoided seeking policing or arrest powers to maintain operational focus and to prevent becoming entangled in legal or political controversies.^[16]

In February 2022, IB came under scrutiny following an incident involving prominent television anchor Iqrar Ul Hassan and his production team.^[17]  The team alleged that IB officers at the Karachi office detained them for approximately three hours, subjected them to physical assault including electric shocks and stripping, and filmed them while blindfolded, in retaliation for exposing an alleged bribe-taking inspector.^[18][19][20] In response, the IB suspended five officials connected to the case under disciplinary rules.^[21]

• Gauhar, Altaf. "How Intelligence Agencies Run Our Politics".The Nation. September 1997: 4.

• Thirteen spymasters gather to stare at each other
• Former IB chiefs meet 'secretly' over dinner
• Pakistani Defence Overview of Intelligence
• Brig (retd) Ejaz Shah
• Maj (retd) Masood Sharif Khan Khattak
• IB deputy director shot dead in Karachi
• IB officer shot dead in Peshawar
• Supreme Court hearing case for involvement of IB in toppling Provincial Government[1]

• Intelligence Bureau (Pakistan)
• Pakistani intelligence agencies
• Pakistan federal departments and agencies
• 1947 establishments in Pakistan
• Government agencies established in 1947

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