LAHORE: For the first time in Pakistan’s political history, a press conference was held to announce the depoliticisation of the ISI by Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum. He has now finally retired from his position, and Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of the ISI.
Nadeem Anjum’s tenure had ended a year ago, but due to one political crisis after another, he continued to serve as the DG ISI. During this period, there were reports of a rift between Nadeem Anjum and Major General Faisal Naseer, the DG of Counterintelligence, which was said to be affecting the agency’s performance.
It was also rumored that Nadeem Anjum had the support of Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Nawaz Sharif, which is why he had not yet been replaced.
The new ISI Director General, Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik, comes from a military family. His father, General Ghulam Muhammad Malik, was once the Corps Commander of Rawalpindi, and was also known as General GM.
Asim Malik joined the army through the 80th Long Course, while his father joined the Pakistan Army in 1950. Before this new appointment, Asim Malik was serving as the Adjutant General at GHQ.
It is worth noting that the military’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) Branch, which deals with legal matters such as court-martials, always functions under the Adjutant General. Interestingly, former ISI Chief Lieutenant General (Retired) Faiz Hameed also served as the Adjutant General in the past and is now facing a court-martial under the same branch.
