Fawad Chaudhry, the Federal Minister for Information, declared on Wednesday (13 October) that consultations between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on the nomination of the Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) had concluded.
“Consultations between the prime minister and the army chief on the nomination of a new DG ISI have been finished and the procedure for the new appointment has commenced,” the federal minister tweeted on his official Twitter account.
He went on to say that the civil and military leadership has once again demonstrated that all institutions are working together to ensure the country’s stability, integrity, and growth.
Relationship with the military
During a post-cabinet press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, the federal minister stated that the topic of DG ISI was also discussed during the cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Imran Khan.
Fawad Chaudhry said, “A long meeting took place between PM Imran Khan and the army chief last night.” Furthermore, he said that the government shares “an ideal relationship with the military.”
Moreover, Fawad Chaudhry said that “The prime minister shares a very close relationship with the army chief and the Prime Minister’s Office will never take a step that would hurt the reputation of the army.”
The minister stated that the government will follow a legal mechanism to nominate the DG ISI and will guarantee that all constitutional requirements are met.
In addition to this, Chaudhry also said that “It is the prerogative of the prime minister to appoint the DG ISI.”
Chaudhry said, “Any appointments that we make are after consultation, and we always fulfill all legal requirements. The new DG ISI’s appointment will also be made after fulfilling all legal criteria.”
