The Pakistan government on Tuesday said there was no difference of opinion between Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa over the appointment of the new Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief. ISI is Pakistan’s internal spy agency.
Last week, Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum was appointed as the new Director General of ISI by the Army in place of Lt Gen Faiz Hameed. However, the Prime Minister’s Office did not issue the order which gave rise to rumors of a rift between the PM and the Army Chief.
As per the laws in Pakistan, the prime minister has the right to choose a new ISI chief in consultation with the army chief. Despite rumors of a rift between the two, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry dismissed any of these reports after a meeting with the cabinet on Tuesday.
“The legal process will be followed in the appointment of the new DG ISI, to which both (Gen Bajwa and Prime Minister Khan) have agreed,” Choudhary was quoted as saying by PTI at a press conference.
Chowdhury also said that there was a “long meeting” between the prime minister and the military leader to discuss the matter and hence the cabinet has also been taken into confidence. “Both (PM Khan and General Bajwa) agree on this and the Prime Minister has authority over it,” he said.
Fawad Chaudhry rubbished rumors of differences.
“I see on social media, there are many people who have desires; I want to tell them that the Prime Minister’s Office will never lower the honor of the Pakistan Army and the Army Chief. And COAS and Army will never take any such step which will hurt the honor of the Prime Minister of Pakistan or the civil order.
The post of ISI chief is considered very important in Pakistan because in their history of 73 years, ISI has dominated its foreign policies with countries like India, America etc. Even though the PM has the final authority to take the decision, but looking at the history of Pakistan, it is safe to say that the army chief wants the ISI chief to be a person close to him.
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