Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has approved a proposal to increase the civilians’ share in the senior hierarchy of the country’s powerful spy agency - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Mr Abbasi on September 15 approved the proposal to increase the number of directors general — the highest civilian post in the agency— from one to four, the Dawn reported on Sunday.
The post of civilian DG in the ISI is a grade 21 position, equivalent to a serving major general of the armed forces. Previously, there was only one civilian DG post in the intelligence agency.
Abbasi approved the summary sent to the PM Office by the defence ministry, proposing four civilian DGs in the ISI.
In addition, the Prime Minister has also enhanced the number of deputy directors general (DDGs) from eight to 15. The same summary recommended the creation of seven additional DDG posts for civilian officers in grade 20.
“The Prime Minister has seen and is pleased to approve the proposal at para 5 read with the views of Establishment Division… and of Finance Division,” according to the office order issued by the PM Office on September 15.
When contacted, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet and Establishment Division Raja Javed Ikhlas termed the order “a routine matter”.
An official of the military’s media wing —Inter-Services Public Relations — did not comment on the development, but said that since the Prime Minister was the competent authority, as the ISI worked under PM secretariat, it was his prerogative to increase the sanctioned posts in the agency.
Formed in 1948 as an independent unit to strengthen the country’s intelligence network, ISI was formerly part of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which handled intelligence-sharing between different branches of the military, as well as external intelligence gathering.
