LAHORE: Lieutenant General Muhammad Zaheerul Islam is the 18th Director General of the ISI since 1959 when Brigadier Riaz Hussain first headed the country’s premier spy agency. Interestingly, only one ISI head - Lieutenant General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani - has gone on to become the Chief of the Army Staff in the last 53 years.
The 17 Pakistan army officials who have headed the ISI to date, are: Brigadier Riaz Hussain (1959 to 1966), Major General (then Brig) Mohammad Akbar Khan (1966 to 1971), Lieutenant General (then Major General) Ghulam Jilani Khan (1971 to 1978), Lieutenant General Muhammad Riaz (1978 to 1980), Lieutenant General Akhtar Abdur Rahman (1980 to 1987), Lieutenant General Hamid Gul (1987 to 1989), Lieutenant General (Retd) Shamsur Rahman Kallu (1989 to 1990), Lieutenant General Asad Durrani (1990 to 1992), Lieutenant General Javed Nasir (1992 to May 1993), Lieutenant General Javed Ashraf Qazi (1993 to 1995), Lieutenant General (then Major Gen) Nasim Rana (1995 to 1998), Lieutenant General Ziauddin Butt (1998 to 1999), Lieutenant General Mahmud Ahmed (October 1999 to 2001), Lieutenant General Ehsan ul Haq (2001 to 2004), Lieutenant General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (October 2004 to October 2007), Lieutenant General Nadeem Taj (2007 to 2008) and finally Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha (September 2008 to March 2012).