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| انٹیلی جنس بیورو | |
 | |
| Intelligence overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 17, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-08-17) |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Pakistan |
| Headquarters | Islamabad,Pakistan |
| Annual budget | Classified |
| Intelligence executive |
|
TheIntelligence Bureau (Urdu:انٹیلی جنس بیورو ;IB) is anintelligence andsecurity agency in Pakistan, focused primarily on non-military intelligence. Established in 1947, the IB is Pakistan's oldest intelligence agency. It is led by the Director General (DG IB), who is usually an officer from thePolice Service of Pakistan.
Thegovernment of Pakistan elevated the Intelligence Bureau status from a semi-autonomous agency to a Division, upgrading it to the equivalent of a Federal Ministry, under oversight of afederal secretary.[1] Appointments and supervision of its operations are authorized by thePrime Minister of Pakistan.
The Intelligence Bureau traces its origin to the Central Special Branch, established on 23 December 1887 by theBritish government in India to gather intelligence on political unrest. Its creation followed Secret Dispatch No. 11, dated 25 March 1887, in whichR. A. Cross, theSecretary of State for India, sanctioned the proposal byLord Dufferin, theViceroy of India, to create a system for the "collection of secret and political intelligence in India".[2]
Dufferin proposed utilizing thepolice forces in British India andpolitical officers inprincely states for the "collection of intelligence on political, social and religious movements". He recommended the establishment of "special agencies" at bothcentral andprovincial headquarters. The Provincial Special Branches, under local government control, were tasked with sharing intelligence with the Central Special Branch.[2] Dufferin modelled the agency after theThird Section ofImperial Russia. To reduce expenses, the agency shared the manpower and facilities of the existingThuggee and Dacoity Department. The General Superintendent of the Department was entrusted with the supervision of the Central Special Branch.[3] The Provincial Special Branches were attached to the offices of either theInspector General of Police or thechief secretary of the respective provinces.[3]
In 1904, based on the recommendations of the Indian Police Commission (1902 – 1903) chaired byAndrew Fraser, theCentral Criminal Intelligence Department—also known as the Department of Criminal Intelligence (DCI)—was established.[4] This reorganization led to the abolition of the Thuggee and Dacoity Department and the merger of the Central Special Branch into the DCI. Additionally,Criminal Investigation Departments (CID) were created in the provinces. Initially, Provincial Special Branches were incorporated into the CIDs, but they were later separated as their functions evolved.[2]
Section 40(2) of theGovernment of India Act 1919 stated that "the Intelligence Bureau should keep the Government posted with matters relating to the security of the Indian Empire." Reflecting this directive, the DCI was renamed the Intelligence Bureau in 1920, a year before the Act formally came into force in 1921.[3]
In the aftermath of theindependence ofPakistan by theBritish Crown, the IB, like the armed forces was partitioned, with a Pakistan IB created in Karachi.[5] Since, the IB is the oldestintelligence community; others being theMilitary Intelligence (MI) of Pakistan'smilitary.[5] The IB was initially Pakistan's only and main intelligence agency with the responsibility for strategic and foreign intelligences, as well as counter-espionage and domestic affairs.[5]
Its poor performance with theMI and unsatisfactory detailing of thewar withIndia in 1947 was however considered less than exemplary. Due to the fact, IB was concerned with internal security matters, and was not set up for foreign intelligence collection. These considerations ultimately led to the creation of theISI in 1948 as it quickly took the charge of gathering strategic and foreign intelligence at all levels of command.[6]
Appointment for IB'sDirector-General are made by thePrime Minister but the appointment has to be confirmed by thePresident.[7][8] The IB is a civilian intelligence agency, and itsDG have been appointed from thecivil bureaucracy and thepolice; as well as retiredmilitary officials have also served as DG IB.[citation needed]
Since the 1950s–1980s, the IB was running active operations to monitor politicians, political activists, suspected terrorists, and suspected foreign intelligence agents.[citation needed] Right after Dhaka Fall in 1971, the IB apprised the then Prime Minister of Pakistan,Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of coup discussions between theCommander-in-Chief,Gul Hassan Khan andAir Chief MarshalAbdul Rahim Khan. Bhutto and his close aides, includingGhulam Mustafa Khar, in a counter-coup invited both Generals to the President House under false pretenses and obtained their resignations.[9] The IB keeps tabs on political operatives from countries it considers hostile to Pakistan's interests.[citation needed] In the 1990s, the IB gained international reputation when its agents had successfully infiltrated many of the terrorist organizations.[citation needed]
In 1996, the IB was granted control of government censorship programs, controlling information dissemination via mail, wire, or electronic medium.[10] In the 1990s, the IB remained actively involved to curbsectarianism and thefundamentalism in the country. Many of its operations were directed towards infiltration, conductingespionage,counterespionage, and providing key information on terrorist organizations.[10] After the disastrous9/11 terrorist attacks in theUnited States, the IB played itsrole as a stakeholder of thegovernment.[10] IB's successful infiltration techniques has led to the capture and detainment of many of high-profile terrorists and sectarian militants.[10] Moreover, it has been instrumental in efforts to break terrorist networks and organised crime rackets throughout the country especially Karachi through its sophisticated human and technical intelligence apparatus.[10] The agency had also been blamed for its belligerent role inOperation Clean-up at Karachi in 1991–92 and 1994–96.[10]
The IB is considered to be a main tool of the government to pacify opposition elements and is sometimes viewed as a government toppling machine. One case under discussion in theSupreme Court of Pakistan is for the alleged involvement of the agency in destabilizing the Punjab Government in 2008.
In 2019 afterIndian airstrikes in Pakistan'sBalakot, IB managed to bust whole ring of local informers that mapped and provided crucial operations to IndianRAW which helpedIAF in locating its targets.
In January 2021, the IB caught a former militant, Salimullah, filming a strategic military installation in Kashmir for RAW.
IB successfully foiledISIS-K plan to assassinatePresident Arif Alvi during president'sSibi visit in 2022.
RAW's nefarious plan to infiltrate spies into prominent military installations ofPakistan was countered by IB in 2022. The IB unmasked 25 Indian agents and successfully thwarted India's attempt to infiltratePakistan security apparatus.
In yet another highly secretive and successful operation, a retired-Rangers commando, Muhammad Ali who was working as a hitman forRAW by running an assassination cell within Pakistan that aimed to eliminate prominent Kashmiri militants was nabbed along with his accomplices in 2023. His entire cell was dismantled by IB. Later, it was revealed that Muhammad Ali was tasked by Indian agencies to eliminateHafiz Saeed and other Kashmiri militant leaders residing inside Pakistan afterRAW'sfailed assassination bid to eliminate Hafiz in 2021.
The IB agents have no formal arrest powers, and its suspects are often apprehended and interrogated by theFIA agents at the request of the IB officials.[11]
The IB also passes on intelligence gained through infiltration between other Pakistan'sintelligence community,police, and otherLaw enforcement units.[citation needed] The Bureau also grants the necessary security clearances to Pakistani diplomats and judges before they take the oath. Powers granted by the government, the IB also intercepts and opens regular mails and letters on a daily basis.[citation needed]
| Grade | Designation/Rank | Equivalent Police Ranks | BS-7 | Constable | Constable | BS-9 | Head Constable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BS-11 | Assistant Sub-Inspector | ||||||
| BS-14 | Sub-Inspector | ||||||
| BS-16 | Inspector | ||||||
| BS-17 | Assistant Director | Assistant Superintendent of Police | |||||
| BS-18 | Deputy Director | Superintendent of Police | |||||
| BS-19 | Director | Senior Superintendent of Police | |||||
| BS-20 | Deputy Director General | Deputy Inspector General of Police | |||||
| BS-21 | Joint Director General | Additional Inspector General of Police | |||||
| BS-22 | Additional Director General | Inspector General of Police | |||||
| BS-22 | Director General | (none) |
| Directorates | Executive figure |
|---|---|
| Sindh Provincial Headquarters (SPHQ), Karachi | Joint Director General |
| Balochistan Provincial Headquarters (BPHQ), Quetta | Joint Director General |
| Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Headquarters (KPHQ), Peshawar | Joint Director General |
| Punjab Provincial Headquarters (PPHQ), Lahore | Joint Director General |
| Capital Region Headquarters (CRHQ), Islamabad | Deputy Director General |
| Intelligence Bureau Academy, (IBA) Islamabad | Joint Director General |
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| Executive | |
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| Internal |
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| External | |
| Defence |
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| Civil Armed Forces Intelligence | |
| Economic | |
| Intelligence measurement | |
| Intelligence reforms |
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