Pakistan picks new chief of powerful spy agency ISI, say security source, TV channel

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan has picked Lieutenant-General Muhammad Asim Malik as the new director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), its top spy agency, according to a security source and a local TV channel, the first change in the key post since 2021.

The Pakistani military’s public relations department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The reported move comes as the political role of the agency faces intense scrutiny. One former ISI chief has been arrested for supporting the political cause of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, who, in turn, alleges that the agency, under current chief Naveed Anjum, is being used against him.

Several senior judges have also alleged, in a letter to the chief justice that was published in local media, that ISI agents were applying pressure on them to decide cases against Khan.

The source with knowledge of the move told Reuters that Malik, currently serving as the army’s Adjudicate General and a graduate of Fort Leavenworth in the United States, would take over on Sept. 30 as the chief of the ISI.

Local television channel Geo News also reported the same.

The post of ISI director general, usually a serving military officer, is one of the most powerful positions in Pakistan, at the intersection of domestic politics, the military and foreign relations.

While the ISI chief technically reports to the prime minister, he is controlled by Pakistan’s army chief.

A standoff between Khan and the army over the appointment of the ISI chief in 2021 is believed to have led to a falling out with top generals, which was followed by his ouster from the premiership months later.

Pakistan’s army, which denies pressurising judges or any role in politics, ruled Pakistan for more than three decades from 1958 and continues to exercise control over key areas of governance in the country.

(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Gareth Jones)