DG ISI’s term extended in Pakistan: What does it mean?

In a rather unusual development, Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, Punjab Regiment, DG, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), who was slated to retire in mid-September 2023, has been given an extension for an additional one-year tenure. Only two other chiefs of ISI have been given extensions in the past — one, the ubiquitous Gen Akhtar Abdul Rehman, who held rein for seven long years (1980-1987), almost entirely handling Pakistan’s Afghan policy during the Soviet invasion; and two, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, whose extension (2011-12) under Gen Kayani’s tenure as Army Chief created heartburn among peers and caused him to exit in somewhat controversial circumstances. Three other Lieutenant Generals of the Pakistan Army retired this month (mid-September 2023) amid media silence, even as Army Chief Gen Asim Munir undertook an official visit to Turkey (13-15 September). Among those retiring are Lt Gen Muhd Aamer, Artillery, Corps Commander, XXX Corps, Gujranwala, 76th Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Long Course, Lt Gen Chiragh Haider, Frontier Force Regiment (FFR), 18th Officers Training School (OTS) course, presently Director General, Training & Evaluation (DG, IET) at General Headquarters (GHQ), and Lt Gen Khalid Zia, Punjab Regiment, Military Secretary, 77th PMA Long Course. The three-star retirements and reshuffle of Lieutenant Generals are still incomplete as key slots of Military Secretary and Corps Commander, XXX Corps, Gujranwala, remain to be filled and promotions of 4-5 Major Generals to three-star rank are yet to be announced. A lot of rumours surfaced in the buildup to the retirement, about Lt Gen Anjum’s extension. He was perceived to have stood solidly behind Gen Munir during and after the 9 May anti-army disturbances, instigated by former prime minister Imran Khan and carried out by hordes of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI)’s unruly supporters, including women relatives of high elite and retired army officers. It was being surmised that Anjum could continue to play a vital role in the ensuing political engineering in which the army leadership will have to perforce engage in, to bring about a desired ‘hung parliament’ outcome when the next elections are held, possibly early next year. However, there were reports of Anjum’s differences with Maj Gen Faisal Naseer, DG (Counterintelligence) in ISI, another well-known Asim Munir acolyte, who has been at the hub of moves to scuttle Imran Khan’s support base in Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI). These differences seem to have been swept under the carpet for now. Both of them remain controversially implicated in the inquiries connected to the case of slain journalist, Arshad Sharif, killed mysteriously in Kenya in October 2022. His mother has accused both ISI officials of involvement in the killing, though nothing conclusive has been proved so far. Ever since he took over as chief last November, Asim Munir has had to deal with a pack of Lieutenant Generals promoted by his outgoing predecessor, Gen Bajwa, at the last minute. This dilemma became evident when Asim Munir replaced newly promoted Lt Gen Nauman Zakaria, Armoured Corps, from the important X Corps command, Rawalpindi, to a comparatively insignificant slot of Chief of Logistics Staff (CLS) at General Headquarters (GHQ), bringing in Lt Gen Shahid Imtiaz, Azad Kashmir regiment (121st OTS), in his place. Shahid Imtiaz’s name did the rounds again recently, as a possible replacement for Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum at ISI. Since then, Asim Munir has been able to promote only two Major Generals to three-star rank, both from the 82nd PMA Long Course, Lt Gen Muhd Shahbaz Khan, Artillery, posted as Commander, Strategic Forces Command at GHQ, Rawalpindi, and Lt Gen Rahat Naseem Khan, Frontier Force Regiment, who was upgraded as President of the National Defence University (NDU) where he was already serving as Chief Instructor. In this backdrop of possible persisting disquiet among retired army and serving middle-level officers, the COAS perhaps felt the loyalty displayed by Nadeem Anjum had made him indispensable for the moment. In July 2023, 30 Brigadiers were promoted to Major General rank. Most of them were from the 90th PMA Long Course. They included five from the Armoured Corps, four from Artillery, 12 from Infantry (Punjab Regiment 5, Baloch Regiment 2, Frontier Force Regiment- FFR 3, Sindh Regiment 1, Northern Light Infantry 1), one from Air Defence and two from the Electrical Mechanical Engineers (EME). Six Officers were promoted from the Army Medical Corps (AMC). No one among those promoted was from the Officers Training Scheme (OTS) stream (Asim Munir’s parent stream). Among those picking up two-star rank were two recently returned Defence Attaches, including one from Pakistan’s Embassy in China, Maj Gen Shahid Amir Afsar. He has been slotted in the crucial Deputy Director General, Analysis post (DDG-A) in ISI, which was lying vacant after Maj Gen Shakirullah Khattak, Armoured Corps, was moved as Chairman, Heavy Industries, Taxila (HIT). Seven others have been sent out as new Division Commanders to Infantry, Armoured Corps and Artillery units in the field. Asim Munir used the Brigadiers’ promotion to unobtrusively fill up vacancies caused by the easing out of Division Commanders of 10 and 11 Divisions in Lahore, who were deemed discredited due to their inaction on May 9. The new Lahore Division Commanders (always considered crucial charges in career management) are not from among the newly promoted lot of Brigadiers but more senior officers. Muhd Shuja Anwar, Artillery, moves from 21 Div, Pano Aqil as GoC, 11 Div. Lahore (replacing Maj Gen Malik Amir Muhd. Khan, FFR). Maj Gen Shoaib bin Akram, FFR, moves from the post of DG, Security & Counter Terrorism at GHQ as the new GoC, 10 Div. Lahore (replacing Maj Gen Qaiser Suleiman). Shoaib is from the same unit as the Army Chief, 23 FFR, and is placed now as a trusted junior in a key slot. The next set of retirements of three-star Generals takes place in November 2023 when two Lieutenant Generals are slated to bid adieu, including Asim Munir’s trusted aide, Lt Gen Muhd Saeed, Sindh Regiment (19th OTS). After Nadeem’s extension, there may be pressure on the COAS to accommodate another loyalist. After this, there is a one-year time lag, till November 2024 when six more Lieutenant Generals will retire. The Army Chief’s Turkey visit, which may have delayed the reshuffle, is significant. Apart from the usually acclaimed formal functions of Gen Munir calling on Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, which was covered with fanfare in an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release (No. 143/2023 dtd 13.09.23), one of Pakistan’s main purposes during this visit may have been the need to seek a more purposeful defence relationship with Turkey. After the grounding of Pakistan’s entire JF 17 fleet for over a year due to technical problems and issues with the Chinese over resolving the defects, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is now keen to cooperate with Turkey for the development of a fifth-generation aircraft, which may have figured in the discussions. The writer is a former special secretary, Cabinet Secretariat. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .