PM Imran Khan may interview recommended officers to appoint DG ISI

ISLAMABAD: The notification for the new DG ISI is expected in a day or two as Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to interview the officers included in the shortlist for the key post, a ministerial source told The News.

The source said that all the processes in this regard are being followed in line with the understanding reached between the prime minister and the army chief. The source hinted that the Karachi corps commander is still the most likely choice for the post of DG ISI.

Meanwhile, information minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet on Wednesday announced that the consultation process between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa over the new Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) has been completed.

Fawad Chaudhry said in his tweet, "Consultation between the prime minister and the army chief on the appointment of a new DG ISI have been completed and the process for the new appointment has begun."

The information minister added that the civil and military leadership has once again proved that all institutions are united and on the same page for the country's stability, integrity and development.

Although the information minister did not share details, a federal minister on condition of not being named told this correspondent that the prime minister wants to interview all the three officers, recommended in the panel by the army chief.

The source was sure that there would be no more hiccups involved. When asked when the government would issue the notification, the source said it may take a day or two. There has been speculation about the possible issuance of the notification on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, during a post-cabinet press conference in Islamabad, the federal information minister had said that in the cabinet meeting — chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan — the issue of the DG ISI was also discussed.

"A long meeting took place between PM Imran Khan and the army chief last night [Monday]," Chaudhry had said, adding that the government shares "an ideal relationship with the military."

"The prime minister shares a very close relationship with the army chief," he had said. The minister said that neither would the Prime Minister's Office take a step that hurt the reputation of the army and nor would the army chief do anything that undermines the office of the prime minister.

The minister had said that the government would adopt a legal procedure to appoint the DG ISI and would ensure all constitutional requirements are fulfilled in this regard.

"It is the prerogative of the prime minister to appoint the DG ISI," Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday had asserted whereas the ruling party’s chief whip Amir Dogar said in a TV show on Tuesday night that the PM wanted to retain the incumbent DG ISI for a few months.