A change of guard in the ISI and what it would mean

New Delhi, Oct 06: Pakistan's ISI chief, Lt. General Faiz Hameed is likely to be replaced by Lt. General Nadeem Anjum. An official notification is likely to issued after October 10.

The move comes at a time when Pakistan is busy with the Afghanistan. It was Lt. Gen Hameed who had played a crucial role in the formation of an interim government in Afghanistan led by the Taliban. He was also at the forefront of the negotiations when there was a falling out between some members of the Taliban and Haqqani Network.

Lt. General Hameed is likely to be appointed as the Corp Commander of the GOC XI Corps of the Pakistan Army. Established in 1975, this decision is deployed in the Khyber-Pakthunkwa province.

While this post would put Lt. Gen. Hameed in a good position to succeed Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Bajwa, there are speculations that he may want to stay on as the ISI chief until November 29 2022, the date on which General Bajwa retires. The current army chief of Pakistan was given an extension of three years in January 2020.

While Hameed expects an elevation to the post of Army chief, in terms of seniority, Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Lt Gen Azhar Abbas and Nauman Mahmood are ahead of him.

However for Lt. General Hameed to be elevated as COAS the precedent is that he must serve as a corps commander first. Lt. General Mahmood has been commanding the XI Corps that is stationed in Peshawar since December 2019. Any decision relating to Hameed would be taken post October 10 as three three-star generals would be retiring in the next one week. They include Lt. Gen. Majid Ehsan, Inspector General Arms (IG Arms), GHQ Rawalpindi; Lt. Gen. Aamir Abbasi, Quarter Master General, GHQ Rawalpindi; and Lt. Gen. Hamooduz Zaman Khan, Commander Army Air Defence, Rawalpindi.

Pakistan Today reported that there is every chance that Lt. Gen Hameed may continue in his position for some more time considering the crucial situation in Afghanistan. He is well-versed with the issue and has been handling it closely for a long time now.