That Prime Minister Gilani himself has had to defend the ISI, which he did twice on Wednesday, once quite naturally in the National Assembly and also by going out of his way while addressing a public meeting at Bara Khau after he inaugurated a Rural Health Centre and girls college there. By saying that the ISI was under government control and acted on government instructions, he took responsibility for the agency while it was under attack from those that it considered an ally USA. One source of attack is direct, with the CIA refusing to forgive the imprisonment of its contractor, even after he killed two Pakistani young men, and even after he was released. The second angle of pressure has been the appearance on WikiLeaks of evidence that the USA regards the ISI as at par with terrorist organizations. Apparently, the ISI is being penalized for being obedient to the government at that time, and having been associated with the mujahideen, during the war against the USSR. The same people who wanted the Soviets out, want the Americans and their NATO allies out, and are linked to the ISI. This change is weighing heavily on the Americans, who are also facing the same problem as the USSR, that of finding a safe exit. Because of a desire to please the Indians, the USA does not want Pakistan to be part of a solution, and instead, the failure of American arms is being blamed on the ISIs old contacts. While Mr Gilanis statements are meant more to reflect a domestic situation, they will be interpreted abroad in a manner that will provide the ISI the justified claim that its actions are not only innocent, but also devoted to fighting the war on terror. They should be seen as a response to foreign criticism, which doubts the very basis of the ISIs beliefs. Also, Mr Gilani is asserting civilian control of a premier military institution, something that has been made necessary not just because of the ISIs own freewheeling image, but because of constant bouts of direct military rule interspersed with episodes of constant pressure on civilian governments. The rebuff to the ISI chief when he called on the CIA head in Washington should have convinced the government, but the hamfisted attempt to apply pressure through WikiLeaks is conclusive proof, that the USA is no friend, and that our interests are not common. The time is long overdue to jettison an alliance that should never have been made in the first place, and Pakistan should pull out of the so-called war on terror at once as a logical consequence of what Mr Gilani said.