ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday said matters relating to the appointment of the new head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country’s premier intelligence agency, would be resolved within a week.
Ahmed’s statement came amid widespread report of a rift between the government and army over the appointment of a general in the key position.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa held consultations over the appointment of Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmad Anjum as the ISI director-general. The army has notified Gen Anjum, replaced Gen Faiz Hameed.
“From this Friday, which passed yesterday, till the next, all issues will be resolved,” Ahmed said at a ceremony at Islamabad’s F-9 Park.
“And the ones, who wish ill of our institutions and can’t stand Imran Khan’s democracy, keep talking but they will not succeed.”
اسلام آباد :16 اکتوبر 2021
ایف-9 پارک میں شجر کاری مہم کا پودہ لگانے کے بعد میڈیا سے گفتگو .https://t.co/Tc0IG0n2DJ@CDAthecapital @dcislamabad @OfficialDGISPR @GovtofPakistan @MoIB_Official @ShoaibAmeer19 pic.twitter.com/6wrYFq05dD— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) October 16, 2021
Pakistan’s army, widely believed to be the most influential institution, has ruled the country for about half of its 74-year history since its independence from Britain, and enjoys extensive powers even under civilian administrations.
By turn, the head of the ISI occupies one of the most important posts in the country and is customarily appointed by the prime minister on the advice of the army chief.
Though Gen Anjum’s appointment was announced by the army’s media wing on October 6, the PM House has yet to issue an official notification about the posting, fueling widespread speculation about a discord between the civilian administration and the military.
