After a three-week deadlock, the director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has finally been appointed by the prime minister. It took a long while for the premier to give a formal nod to the decision already made by the army chief. In hindsight everyone knew that the army chief’s decision could not be overridden by Prime Minister Imran Khan so the painful delay which caused much drama was of no use. However, finally it has come to an end and now Pakistan has a new spymaster who will take charge on November 20. But the notification was issued on October 26. The announcement was made even earlier.
The notification saga has opened several complex layers of the civil-military relations. Although there is no law in the Constitution or the Army Act which states how to go about the appointment of the ISI head, the tradition suggests that the army chief provides the prime minister with three names for the post of the spymaster and the premier decides the final person. However, this time the story went as such that the DG ISI was already chosen by the army chief and when the media created a ruckus, the prime minister, just for the show of it, apparently interviewed other candidates as well. Finally, a notification was issued by the Prime Minister’s Office to let everyone know that the candidate selected by the army chief was approved by Imran Khan as well, or the other way round, one can never tell here.
Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum has been chosen as the next ISI director general. The PML-N will be happy to see Gen Faiz go as it believes that PM Khan will surely miss the presence of the general as he was seen as the man behind the gun who “managed to bring about the PTI government”. The fact is that Imran Khan was already riding a popular wave since his take off in 2011 and he was sure to come into power with a popular vote in the 2018 elections. It is quite unbecoming to drag the ISI in your electoral failures. With Gen Faiz being transferred to another important position elsewhere, the prime minister might feel weak in his own office. However, this is all speculation which was birthed by the long laborious task that underwent at the PMO before the announcement was finally made. Hopefully, the new DG will dispel the impression of political maneuverings and will improve the situation in Pakistan as the government and opposition are failing to do so.
