The government has finally notified the appointment of the Director-General of ISI, the country’s most important intelligence agency, after a long period of deliberation and unwarranted speculation across the country. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office, Prime Minister Imran Khan approved the appointment of the new DG ISI; and the names of the candidates for the post were sent in the summary of the Ministry of Defence. After interviewing him, Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmad Anjum’s appointment was approved. He is a three-star Pakistani Army General and will serve the post of Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from November 20. It is a good thing that the name of the person recommended by the military leadership was approved. It will also give the impression that there is harmony in the civil-military leadership, and it will help to understand how to make things easier in the future.
It is gratifying that the issue of the appointment of DG ISI has been settled amicably within the civil-military leadership but some politicians are seeking clarification from the Prime Minister on this issue, while some critics are also interpreting it as a setback for the PTI government and others have raised the question that if this is what was to be done, then why did the government delay? If there was an attempt to assert the authority of the elected Prime Minister and to establish a democratic tradition in the country, it should certainly be welcomed. However, the move, which has been the subject of speculation for nearly three weeks, appears to be at odds with the military leadership over the Prime Minister’s autonomy and authority.
The Prime Minister and his envoys have been announcing that there is an ideal relationship between the civilian and military leadership, and following these assurances, the appointment of the same DG ISI is expressing the weak position of the Prime Minister.
It is good that the civilian and military leadership have settled the matter amicably through mutual consultation. After the amicable settlement, all the plans of anti-government and anti-national elements to create misunderstandings in the civil and military leadership of Pakistan have come to a standstill. The snakes in the sleeve have not spared any effort to increase dissent. It is the wisdom of the Prime Minister that he has settled the matter amicably, albeit after a while. Also, the opposition should put national interests first, avoiding storms in a cup of tea based on their desires, as it is best for all.
In this context, it would have been more welcome in terms of the continuity of the country and the democratic system if the differences in the bilateral meetings had been resolved instead of initiating a general debate on the appointment of the ISI chief. This did not happen, but the issue was deliberately protracted; giving the opposition a rare opportunity to speculate about the civilian and military leadership being on the same page. This aspect of the matter was also echoed at the PTI parliamentary party meeting. Although the Prime Minister explained the situation at the meeting; and informed about the background of his desire to retain Lt Gen Faiz Hameed in the post of DG ISI for some more time to play a strong role in the context of the changed situation in Afghanistan, there were still concerns about civil-military relations.
There is no doubt that the country’s political and military leaderships are fully aware of Pakistan’s effective role for regional peace and stability in the context of the changed situation in Afghanistan and the role of the ISI in it. It is against the national interest for any misunderstanding between the civilian and military leadership over the leadership of the prominent institution to continue for a long time.
It is good that the civilian and military leadership have settled the matter amicably through mutual consultation. After the amicable settlement, all the plans of anti-government and anti-national elements to create misunderstandings in the civil and military leadership of Pakistan have come to a standstill. The snakes in the sleeve have not spared any effort to increase dissent. It is the wisdom of the Prime Minister that he has settled the matter amicably, albeit after a while. Also, the opposition should put national interests first, avoiding storms in a cup of tea based on their desires, as it is best for all.
