ISI Paradox

Russell's Paradox

Pakistan's former ISI chief, General Ashfaq Kayani made some loud noises a while back when situation was on boil and the two neighbors were having a war of words. Dr. Manmohan Singh had replied that war was not an option.

Then we heard a well known columnist of Newsweek that "the Pakistani military can only be reined in by itself. No civilian govt. has ever had the ability to tell the military in Pakistan to rein in itself".

Perhaps, Mr. Zakaria was pointing towards one of the biggest paradoxes of formal logic. It was first discovered by Mr. Bertrand Russell long time back.

In its simplest form paradox is this: if the village barber shaves only those villagers who do not shave themselves, who shaves the barber? That is, if a barber shaves only those who don't shave themselves, he can't shave himself.

A Problem of Logic

There are many such examples but the point is clear. If you follow the rule that a set can be member of itself, if and only if, it is not a member of itself, you get a paradox.

Now apply this to ISI.

Pakistan's sovereignty means that no other country can rein in its army, and the ISI's self made charter ensures that it will not rein it itself. This is where Russell's paradox becomes evident.

If the only reason for the ISI's existence is to create problems for everyone else in the belief that it serves Pakistan's national interest, how will it rein in itself. Why would it, for then it would belong to the set that doesn't want to create problems for the world and that is not logically possible.

Solution of Sorts

Well, after much struggle mathematicians found an answer to the above paradox, is that the only way it can be done is that such a barber did not exist.

Or, maybe the barber was a woman. Substitute 'ISI' for 'barber' and 'civilian government ' for the woman in the previous sentences and you will get the answer.

This essentially means that if the categories listed above are o live in pace, the ISI must cease to exist in its present form, or even better, entirely.

This is an adaptation
Written by T.C.A. Srinivas-Raghavan
Appeared in Business Line on 27.12.08