Pak Army Chief visits ISI headquarters amid tussle with Imran Khan govt

Amid the ongoing tussle between the Pakistan Army and Imran Khan govt over the appointment of the next spymaster, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday visited the Pakistan intelligence agency's headquarters to discuss "internal security and the ongoing situation in Afghanistan" with ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid. Bajwa was received by Director General ISI Hamid, Dawn reported.

He was briefed on "internal security and the ongoing situation in Afghanistan", the statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. General Bajwa expressed his satisfaction over the preparedness of the organisation, it added.

The meeting comes amid an ongoing standoff between the army and government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan over the appointment of the next ISI chief. The army had announced on October 6 that the incumbent ISI chief, Lt Gen Hameed, had been made the Peshawar corps commander, while Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum was appointed in his place.

However, the prime minister's office has since not issued an official notification of Lt Gen Anjum's appointment, leading to rumours about strains in civil-military relations. After days of speculations, on Oct 12, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that the authority to appoint the ISI chief lay 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 had said. (ANI)

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