Pakistan: Former ISI official ‘commits suicide’

By Aamir Latif</p> <p>KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – A former senior official of Pakistan's top spy agency reportedly committed suicide on Friday, local media reported.</p> <p>The body of retired Brig. Asad Muneer — a former regional head of the country's premier spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his apartment in a high-end locality of capital Islamabad, local broadcaster Geo News reported quoting police sources.</p> <p>Munir who headed ISI's wing for northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) province, and restive tribal belt, which border neighboring Afghanistan, from 2003 to 2006, had been involved in anti-Taliban operations.</p> <p>Before joining the ISI, he had served at the Military Intelligence for a couple of years.</p> <p>Quoting family sources, Geo News reported that Munir was deeply upset after the country's anti-corruption watchdog — National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — announced to file a corruption case against him only a day ago.</p> <p>Munir also served as a member of the Capital Development Authority — a body that runs the development affairs of Islamabad — after retirement.</p> <p>Unconfirmed reports said that the former spy left a note requesting the Chief Justice Supreme Court to personally look into the matter after his death, and work to dispense &quot;justice&quot;.</p> <p>&quot;I'm committing suicide to avoid humiliation, being handcuffed and paraded in front of media […] I'm giving my life in the hope that you'll bring positive changes in system where incompetent people r playing with life &amp; honor of citizens in name of accountability.&quot;, local English Daily Pakistan Today quoted Munir as saying in the final note.</p> <p>NAB was established by the country's former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf after he toppled the elected government of jailed ex-premier Nawaz Sharif in Oct 1999 through a bloodless coup.</p> <p>The watchdog is often accused of being used for &quot;political engineering&quot;, and targeting the opposition.