ISLAMABAD – Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said he is unaware of anydevelopment regarding extension in the tenure of ISI DG Lt-Gen NadeemAnjum.
The 73-year-old politician said this during an interview with a newschannel. When the anchorperson asked if the government is going to giveextension to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general, theminister said he did not know anything about it.
“It means there was no such development as a section of the media claimedthat extension has been granted?” the anchorperson asked.
In response, Khawaja Asif said he was not aware of any such development,adding that the government’s tenure would end in a few days and “ifsomething has to happen, it will happen during these days”.
The discussion comes as reports said the government is planning to giveextension to the ISI DG for a year, as his tenure is going to end inSeptember this year. Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum was appointed head of thecountry’s premier spy agency in November 2021.
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These reports coincide with a major development in the Senate of Pakistanwhere a bill proposing key amendments to the Army Act 1953 was passed onThursday. The bill titled the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Act 2023 was movedby Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.
Amid other amendments, the bill proposed introducing Section 26-B, whichstates that those who have “remained posted, employed, seconded, tasked orotherwise attached on sensitive duties” are forbidden from taking part in“political activity of any kind, during a period of five years from thedate of his retirement, release, resignation, discharge, removal ordismissal from the service”.
The bill also proposed adding Section 26-A (unauthorised disclosure) to theact under which “anyone who discloses or causes to be disclosed anyinformation, acquired in official capacity, which is or may be prejudicialto the security and interest of Pakistan or the armed forces of Pakistan,shall be […] punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which mayextend to five years”.