Islamabad - American intelligence sources are claiming ISI officials ordered the murder of a Pakistani journalist whose tortured body was found in the desert south of Islamabad May 31.He had last been known to have been headed for a television talk show appearance in the capital two days earlier, according to CIA sources quoted in a news report in "The New York Times."
As bureau chief of Hong Kong's Asia Times On-line, investigative journalist Saleem Shahzad reported that Islamic militants had infiltrated the military and information they turned over to Al Qaeda led to an attack on a naval station in Karachi.
It took Pakistani soldiers 16 hours to regain control during the day following that assault.
Administration officials told newspapers and broadcasters worldwide that agents of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) ordered his killing because of his extensive writings concerning the Islamic militants he claimed have gained much influence in the Pakistani military establishment.
While American sources report ISI involvement in the killing of Shahzad, various Asian outlets have reported that they suspect CIA contractors abducted the journalist and murdered him in order to heap criticism on the Pakistani agency. The tensions between the intelligence services for both nations have been heightened since a top secret raid by U.S. Navy Seal Team Six that claimed the life of Osama bin Laden in a compound north of this city.
According to a report published by the Council last year, intelligence sources are skeptical that the reduction of total acreage devoted to opium cultivation in Afghanistan has not been replaced with a new emphasis on refinement and smuggling stations along the border with Pakistan.
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