R Krishna Das
The civil-military rift in Pakistan seems to be resolved for now as the Prime Minister, Imran Khan finally gave his nod to appoint Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Tension escalated between the government and Pakistan Army after Khan initially refused to appoint Lt Gen Anjum as the new spymaster. The Prime Minister wanted the incumbent ISI Chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to continue for a few months. Faiz has been dealing with the crucial Afghan issue after the Taliban takeover with the involvement of Pakistan.
After the meeting between Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Pakistan army on October 6 announced that Lt Gen Anjum had been appointed as the new ISI Chief. He replaced Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, who was shifted to Peshawar as corps commander.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) expressed surprise over the announcement and clarified that Khan had not approved the name of Anjum. It resulted in a rift between the government and the army at a time Pakistan has been reeling under severe economic crisis and insurgency.
Interestingly, the procedure for appointment of the ISI director general is neither mentioned in the Constitution of Pakistan nor the Army Act. It is a conventional and traditional practice going on and all previous appointments have been made on the names suggested by the army chief.
Khan and General Bajwa reportedly had a fresh round of talks today morning to resolve the issue. Khan, who was adamant on the name of Anjum, has to finally give up. “The prime minister has seen and approved the appointment of … Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum … as director general Inter-Services Intelligence, with effect from November 20, 2021, from the panel of officers,” a notification issued by the PMO dated October 26 said.
According to the notification, the incumbent ISI director general, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, will continue to hold charge as the spymaster till November 19, 2021.
