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DG ISI appointment: Notification expected next Wednesday; Matter to be solved within a week, says Sh Rashid;

Soon after the notification of the new spy chief, the incumbent DG ISI, Lt Gen Faiz Hamid, will join the Peshawar Corps

By Ansar Abbasi 
October 16, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The appointment of the new DG ISI is expected to be notified on Wednesday — a day after the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal.

A well-placed source told The News that soon after the notification of the new spy chief, the incumbent DG ISI, Lt Gen Faiz Hamid, will join the Peshawar Corps as has already been announced by the ISPR.

The source claimed that the issue has now been resolved. He said that the appointment of the DG ISI will be made and notified next week. “It will be done on Wednesday,” the source claimed. The interviews for the post of DG ISI may not be held now. The source said that he too had learnt that the issue has been resolved. This source, however, was not sure about the precise day when the notification would be issued. But he said that the much-discussed summary for the appointment of the DG ISI was not forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office until Friday afternoon.

It has been a tense few days for many. Following the Oct 6 announcement by the ISPR of the appointment of several three-star generals, a controversy erupted after the prime minister raised questions over the procedure adopted instead of issuing orders for the issuance of a notification for the appointment of the new DG ISI.

In the last cabinet meeting, the prime minister discussed the issue with members of his cabinet and, according to his party’s chief whip in the National Assembly Amir Dogar, the prime minister wanted to retain the incumbent DG ISI for another two to four months.

During an interview, Dogar said that Imran Khan wanted Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed to continue amid the evolving situation in Afghanistan. The chief whip said the premier, during last Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, had mentioned that respect for the army and for the prime minister go hand in hand, adding the government wanted to be on the same page with all the institutions.

The prime minister, according to Dogar, had noted that Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum was also a good professional soldier. Dogar said now a panel of three to five names would be put forward before the prime minister and he would pick the new DG ISI from them.

He insisted that it was a matter of the personal preference of the prime minister, but “there may have been a procedural deficiency”. He acknowledged that the prime minister had insisted during the cabinet meeting that he was not a mere rubber stamp.

Amir Dogar said that both COAS Bajwa and DG ISI Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed greatly supported the democratic process, and it would have been appropriate if the situation had not reached the present level. Dogar quoted the prime minister as saying that Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum was a good general and he had no objection over his posting, but the procedure should be followed in letter and spirit.

It is expected that Lt Gen Nadeem, the person originally named in the ISPR notification, will be appointed as the DG ISI. According to sources, the incumbent DG ISI had told the premier about his desire to be relieved of his post so that he could take on his new assignment, which is critically important to make him eligible to be amongst those to be considered for the post of army chief in November next year.

Interior minister Shaikh Rashid on Thursday said that "everything has been mutually decided and finalised" and that the government and the military "have a very good understanding".

According to a local news channel, Sheikh Rashidd got angry at a reporter when asked a question about DG ISI appointment. "Everything is aettled regarding DG ISI Issue. Do not ask silly questions," he said. However he said that the matter would be settled within a week.