Intelligence Bureau Pakistan: The Complete Guide to the IB
Pakistan’s premier civilian intelligence agency — what it does, who leads it, how it differs from the ISI, and why it was made a full federal division in 2024.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is Pakistan’s premier civilian intelligence and security agency, working directly under the Prime Minister’s Office. Headquartered in Islamabad, it handles internal security, counter-terrorism, counter-espionage and economic security (including action against hundi/hawala, smuggling and human trafficking). Its institutional roots go back to the colonial-era Thuggee and Dacoity Department (1830); the IB itself was established at independence in 1947. In 2024 it was elevated to a full federal Division, with the Director General as ex-officio Secretary. The current DG is Fuad Asadullah Khan (in office since 20 April 2022; tenure extended in May 2026).
IB established
Institutional origins
Elevated to Division
Reports to: the PM
Complete guide
In this guide
Overview
What the Intelligence Bureau is
The civilian counterpart to the military’s ISI — and the agency closest to the Prime Minister.
The Intelligence Bureau (Urdu: انٹیلی جنس بیورو) is Pakistan’s premier civilian security agency. Unlike the ISI — which is military-led — the IB is a civilian organisation operating under the administrative control of the Prime Minister’s Office, headquartered in Islamabad. Its motto is “Security, Integrity, Sovereignty.”
The IB’s core business is domestic: collecting, analysing and disseminating intelligence on threats inside Pakistan, protecting sensitive government institutions, and supporting the police and other law-enforcement agencies. The Director General reports directly to the Prime Minister and serves as his chief security adviser on the civilian side.
Role
Mandate: what the IB actually does
Counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, and an economic-security beat that has grown sharply.
Internal security & counter-terrorism
Monitoring militant networks, sectarian outfits and subversive activity; disrupting planned attacks. Operations in recent years have targeted groups such as the Bilal Sabit gang and foiled plots around high-profile events.
Counter-espionage
Detecting foreign intelligence activity inside Pakistan and protecting sensitive state institutions and installations.
Economic security
Action against hundi/hawala networks, hoarding, smuggling and human trafficking — a beat that has expanded significantly under the current DG.
Law-enforcement support
Intelligence support to police and agencies such as the FIA and NACTA, plus security vetting and VVIP-security advice on the civilian side.
1830 – today
History: the oldest intelligence lineage in Pakistan
The IB claims the deepest institutional roots of any Pakistani agency — nearly two centuries.
The IB traces its origins to the Thuggee and Dacoity Department, founded under British rule in 1830 — making its lineage older than Pakistan itself. At independence in 1947, the department’s Pakistan-side apparatus became the nucleus of the new state’s Intelligence Bureau, alongside the military intelligence arms that would later include the ISI (founded 1948).
Over the decades the IB has served every government — civilian and military — as the prime minister’s eyes and ears on internal threats. Its chiefs have traditionally been senior police-service or IB-cadre officers, and the post has often changed hands with changes of government.
2024 reform
Division status: the 2024 upgrade
From bureau to division — financial autonomy and a seat-adjacent voice at the cabinet table.
In February 2024, the caretaker government granted the IB the status of a full-fledged federal Division — a longstanding demand of the Bureau. The notification placed the IB Division directly under the Prime Minister, with its office in the Cabinet Division, and made the Director General the ex-officio Secretary of the division.
The practical effects: financial autonomy (the Bureau no longer routes expenditure through the Cabinet Division’s financial adviser), control over its own postings, transfers and promotions — and, as one former IB chief noted, the DG can now participate in federal cabinet meetings as the division’s head rather than waiting to be invited to brief.
Leadership
The Director General: Fuad Asadullah Khan
An IB insider — three decades in the Bureau, decorated three times by the state.
Fuad Asadullah Khan — an electronics engineer by training — joined the Intelligence Bureau as an Assistant Director in 1990 and rose through operational and leadership roles across the country. He was appointed Director General on 20 April 2022.
On 22 May 2026 the government extended his tenure, granting a four-year extension in service — an unusual vote of confidence. He has been decorated three times: the Tamgha-e-Shujaat (1996), the Sitara-e-Shujaat (2018), and the Hilal-i-Imtiaz — awarded in 2025 for his role during the Pakistan–India conflict (Operation Bunyanum Marsoos), with a further Hilal-i-Imtiaz recommendation approved on 14 August 2026 for conferral on 23 March 2027.
Comparison
IB vs ISI vs MI: the difference
Three agencies, three masters — the distinction Pakistanis mix up most.
| Agency | Character | Focus | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|
| IB (Intelligence Bureau) | Civilian | Internal security, counter-terrorism, economic threats | DG IB (civilian) — reports to the PM |
| ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) | Military | External intelligence + strategic internal security | DG ISI (serving army general) |
| MI (Military Intelligence) | Military | Army-specific: counter-intelligence within the forces | DG MI (army officer) |
In short: the IB watches threats inside Pakistan for the Prime Minister; the ISI watches threats to Pakistan from outside (and strategic threats within); MI watches the army itself. The IB is the only one of the three that is civilian-led and division-ranked under the PM Office.
Questions, answered
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions readers ask most.
What is the Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan?
Pakistan’s premier civilian intelligence and security agency, under the Prime Minister’s Office (a full federal Division since 2024). It handles internal security, counter-terrorism, counter-espionage and economic security. Motto: “Security, Integrity, Sovereignty.”
Who is the current chief of IB Pakistan?
Fuad Asadullah Khan — Director General since 20 April 2022, with a four-year service extension granted on 22 May 2026. He joined the IB as an Assistant Director in 1990 and has been decorated with the Tamgha-e-Shujaat, Sitara-e-Shujaat and Hilal-i-Imtiaz.
Is the IB under the army or the Prime Minister?
The Prime Minister. The IB is a civilian agency; its Director General reports directly to the PM (and is ex-officio Secretary of the IB Division since 2024). The military-led agencies are the ISI and MI.
What is the difference between IB and ISI?
The IB is civilian and domestic — internal security for the PM. The ISI is military-led — external intelligence and strategic security, headed by a serving army general. Both report ultimately to the Prime Minister, but through different chains.
When was the Intelligence Bureau established?
The IB was established at independence in 1947, though it traces its institutional lineage to the colonial Thuggee and Dacoity Department of 1830.
What is the IB’s official website?
The Bureau’s listed official website is ib.gov.pk. The agency keeps a deliberately low public profile; formal contact with the government on intelligence matters runs through the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Interior.
More on Pakistan’s government & politics
Agencies, ministries, the constitution — how the state is organised and run.
Agency profile compiled from official notifications, parliamentary records and contemporary reporting. Leadership details verified October 2026.