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Inter Services Intelligence activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Inter-Services Intelligence activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) intelligence agency of Pakistan allegedly ran an active military intelligence program during the Bosnian War which started in 1992 lasting until 1995. Allegedly executed and supervised by General Javed Nasir, the program distributed and coordinated the systematic supply of arms to various groups of Bosnian mujahideen during the war. The ISI Bosnian contingent was organized with financial assistance provided by Saudi Arabia, according to the British historian Mark Curtis.

Despite the UN arms embargo in Bosnia, Nasir later confessed that the ISI airlifted anti-tank weapons and missiles to Bosnian mujahideen which turned the tide in favor of Bosnian Muslims and forced the Serbs to lift the siege. In 2011, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia demanded the custody of the former ISI director for his alleged support to Muslim fighters of Bosnia against the Serbian army in the 1990s, the Government of Pakistan has refused to hand Nasir to the UN tribunal, citing poor health.

During the height of the conflict, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry evacuated many endangered Bosnians from the conflict areas who immigrated to Pakistan. The small nature of the program was mentioned and highlighted in the Pakistani drama, Alpha Bravo Charlie in 1998. Since then, foreign relations have improved between Pakistan and Bosnia.

References

Inter-Services Intelligence activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina Wikipedia