RAWALPINDI: In a major reshuffle at command, staff and instructional assignments in the Pakistan Army, newly promoted Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha has been appointed chief of Pakistan’s premier intelligence outfit - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
This most significant appointment was approved by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who directly looks after the affairs of the intelligence establishment. Pasha will replace Lt Gen Nadim Taj, who was appointed as DG ISI by former president Pervez Musharraf.
The ISI has been in the limelight over the attempts to put it under the Interior Ministry. However, it remains under the prime minister being chief executive of the country. The ISI is the most important organ of the national security set-up and recognised as one of the elite intelligence outfits worldwide.
The trend of this reshuffle demonstrats full coordination between the civil and military leadership as it took place on the day when President Asif Ali Zardari met leg of his trip to the United States.
ISI chief Lt Gen Nadim Taj has been moved as commander Gujranwala Corps while Lt Gen Yousuf, present VCGS, has been appointed Corps Commander Bahawalpur. Present Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lt Gen Raza Khan has been shifted as DG Joint Staff Headquarters.
After the elevation of Lt General Pasha as DG ISI, Maj-General Javed Iqbal, presently posted as GOC Jhelum, has been appointed as Director-General Military Operations (DG MO). Similarly, Commander 10 Corps (Rawalpindi) Lt Gen Mohsin Kamal has been moved to General Headquarters as Military Secretary (MS) and in his place newly promoted Lt-General Tahir Mehmood has been appointed as Commander Rawalpindi Corps.
Since assuming the charge of the Army Chief, General Kayani has ordered around 19 new postings/transfers and reshuffle of senior Army officers at a time when a new civilian democratic set-up has been fully put in place after the February 18 elections.
Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad has been appointed VCGS, newly promoted Lt General Mustafa Khan has been appointed Chief of General Staff in place of Lt Gen Salahuddin Satti, who will retire from Army next week.
Corps Commander Karachi Lt-General Ahsan Azhar Hayat has been moved to GHQ as Inspector-General Training and Evaluation (IGT and E), and in his place newly promoted Lt-General Shahid Iqbal has been appointed Commander 5 Corps.
Director General Infantry Lt Gen Zaki has been appointed Inspector-General Arms and Lt General Javed Zia, presently posted as DCGS, has been appointed as Quarter-Master General (QMG).
In the GHQ, Lt Gen-Mohammad Zahid has been appointed Adjutant General, and newly appointed Lt General Tanvir Tahir, an EME officer, appointed IG Communications and IT at GHQ.
In place of outgoing Chairman Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) Lt Gen Israr Gummon, newly promoted Lt-Gen Ayyaz Salim Hayat has been appointed to head HIT. Gummon will reach the age of superannuation by November this year.
Earlier, seven major-generals were promoted to the rank of lieutenant-generals. They are Major General Tahir Mahmood (Infantry - present Commander SSG), Major-General Shahid Iqbal (Infantry - Chief Instructor NDU), Major General Tanvir Tahir (EME - DG C4Is), Major-General Zahid Hussain (Artillery - Commandant Pakistan Military Academy), Major General Ahmad Shuja Pasha (Infantry - DG Military Operations), Major-General Mohammad Mustafa Khan (Armoured Corps - ISI), and Major-General Ayyaz Saleem Rana (Armoured Corps - ISI).
Major-Generals Nusrat Naeem (ISI), Asif Akhtar (ISI), Khalid Jaffari (ANF), Shoukat Sultan (GOC Lahore) and Mohammad Saddique (GHQ - former acting Chairman NAB) had been superseded in the process. They will, however, continue to serve as major generals.
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