India - Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI)

India's biggest thorn in their side. This is Pakistan's slightly more militarized and crudely transparent version of the CIA. They are no less obvious in their activities than our corn-fed, tow-headed operatives in short sleeved checkered shirts from J.C. Penney.

The Directorate for ISI was founded in 1948 by British army officer, Major General R. Cawthome, then deputy chief of staff in the Pakistan army. After the British left, the president of Pakistan (Field Marshal Ayub Khan) expanded the role of the ISI in maintaining military rule in Pakistan. This included monitoring opposition politicians. It is a testament to the ISI efficiency that when Prime Minister Shariz made noises about shutting down the ISI training camps, he suddenly found himself without a job and the military in charge. Staffed by hundreds of civilian and military officers, and thousands of other workers, the agency's headquarters is located in Islamabad. The ISI has about 10,000 officers and staff members. The ISI began using militants in Kashmir under President Zia Ul Haq in 1988. They are not just busy in Kashmir but in helping the Taliban in Afghanistan, in Koyalapattinam, a village in Tamil Nadu, supporting the Liberation Tigers, operating training camps near the border of Bangladesh training groups to fight in the northeastern states (United Liberation Front of Seven Sisters [ULFOSS]), National Security Council of Nagaland (NSCN), People's Liberation Army (PLA), United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), and North East Students Organization (NESO). The ISI is said to have intensified its activities in the southern Indian states of Hyderabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Kojhikode, Bhatkal, and Gulbarga. They are also supporting groups in Andhra Pradesh like the Ittehadul Musalmeen and the Hijbul mujahedin. They are also accused of training and supplying Uighur fighters in Xianjang province in Western China. They currently train and support at least six different groups in Kashmir totaling 5,000 to 10,000 fighters.

http://www.fas.org/irp/world/pakistan/isi/index.html