Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa have “ideal” civil-military relations and they both never take any steps that could “undermine” each other’s respect, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday.
Addressing a post-cabinet meeting press conference, the minister said the authority to appoint the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general “lies with the prime minister”, and that the set procedure would be followed for the purpose.
“The legal procedure will be followed in the appointment of the new DG ISI, for which both [Gen Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran] are in agreement,” he said.
The appointment of ISI director general is a prerogative of the prime minister. The spymaster’s choice is, however, made by the prime minister in consultation with the army chief.
Last week, the military’s media affairs wing had announced that Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum had been appointed as the new ISI chief.
Meanwhile, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, formerly the ISI director general, was posted as the Peshawar corps commander.
However, despite the passage of days following the announcements by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a notification confirming Lt Gen Anjum’s appointment as the new DG ISI was not issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, leading to feverish speculation in the federal capital.
The government had, until today, maintained silence on the issue.
On Monday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, when asked at a media interaction about the issue, had uncharacteristically refused to give a clear answer and said that Information Minister Chaudhry was authorised to speak on “civil-military” issues.
In his presser today, Chaudhry said Prime Minister Imran and the army chief had a “long sitting” last night to discuss the matter and the premier had subsequently taken the cabinet into confidence over the issue.
“Gen Bajwa and the prime minister have close and cordial relations. And it is also important from a historical perspective that there are ideal relations between Pakistan’s civilian and military leaderships,” he added.
Referring to rumours circulating about the matter, Chaudhry said: “I see on social media, there are many who have wishes; I want to tell them that the Prime Minister’s Office will never undermine the respect of the Pakistan Army and army chief. And the COAS and the army will never take any step that will undermine the respect of Pakistan’s prime minister or civil setup.”
He stressed that both the premier and the military leadership were in close coordination, and the DG ISI would be appointed after fulfilling all the legal requirements. “Both (PM Imran and Gen Bajwa) are in agreement over this and the prime minister has the authority over it,” he said.
Chaudhry also appreciated the media for not “sensationalising” the matter of the DG ISI’s appointment.
When asked by a reporter whether Chaudhry’s latest remarks indicated that last week’s announcement about Lt Gen Anjum’s appointment was made “without the prime minister’s approval”, the information minister said: “I have already answered this.”
At the moment, no notification has been issued for the appointment of the incoming ISI chief.
The federal cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, discussed the country’s overall political and economic situation.