TORONTO - October 1 - Pakistan replaced the head of its powerful Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI in an apparent effort to clean up the military spy agency, amid claims from Washington, that it secretly backs the Taliban.The Lieutenant General Ahmad Pasha was appointed by army general Ashfaq Kiyani. Pasha will assume the post of Director General of the ISI.

The appointment of General Pasha doesn't come lightly, it is said that the appointment of Pasha is seen by some, as a move to placate Washington, which accuses the ISI of collaborating with Taliban fighters., despite government assurances the agency has been reformed.

  The lead up to the appointment of General Pasha comes after a major standoff between the Pakistani government and Major Kiyani who resisted attempts to put the ISI under civilian control. The appointment comes amidst an ongoing Pakistani military offensive in the Baujur region on the Afghan border. Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated on Tuesday that he had asked the Saudi king to help facilitate peace talks with the Taliban in order to bring an end to the ongoing conflict. He also called on Taliban leader Mullah Omar to return peace talks. Omar rejected the offer.

Eric Margolis, The Real News Analyst says "Cross border offences are getting worse, and the fighting is intensifying and Taliban and its allies are getting stronger. There will never be stability in Afghanistan until the largest ethnic group is brought into the political process."

Watch the full story on The Real News Network: New Head of ISI; Karzai Calls For Taliban talks

Also watch Tariq Khan discuss the economic crisis in Pakistan http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=2426