Pakistan: Former ISI official ‘commits suicide’

KARACHI, Pakistan

A former senior official of Pakistan's top spy agency reportedly committed suicide on Friday, local media reported.

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.

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.

Before joining the ISI, he had served at the Military Intelligence for a couple of years.

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.

Munir also served as a member of the Capital Development Authority -- a body that runs the development affairs of Islamabad -- after retirement.

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 "justice".

"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 & honor of citizens in name of accountability.", local English Daily Pakistan Today quoted Munir as saying in the final note.

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.

The watchdog is often accused of being used for "political engineering", and targeting the opposition.