Lt Gen Asim Malik is 26th ISI boss in 76 years

LAHORE: Lt General Asim Malik, son of Lt General (R) Ghulam Muhammad, was appointed as the 26th Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Monday, meaning thereby that the average tenure of 25 Pakistani spymasters since 1948 has approximately been 3.04 years.

The development immediately caught the attention of mainstream Indian media too. The “Economic Times,” a business-focused Indian newspaper that recorded an average daily circulation of 269,882 copies in 2023, states, “Asim Malik has been appointed as new DG of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. The post of ISI chief is considered one of the most important in the Pakistan Army. He is a graduate of Fort Leavenworth and Royal College of Defence Studies. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his new position, having held various leadership roles in the military over the years. His appointment comes at a critical time forPakistan’s intelligence agency.”

Research conducted by the “Jang Group and Geo Television Network” reveals that an Australian-born Major General, Robert “Bill” Cawthome, remains the longest-serving Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency for over nine years from 1950 to 1959.

Robert Cawthome was once a British Army officer, who had later joined the Pakistan Army. He had laid down the basic principles of the ISI, together with Vice Admiral Syed Muhammad Ahsan, who is officially acknowledged to have played an integral part in managing the recruitment and expansion of this world-class spy agency.At that time, Vice Admiral Syed Muhammad Ahsan was serving as Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence.

At the end of December 1952, Major-General Robert Cawthome, Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence, sent a priority report to Commander Ahsan and asked for a detailed reaction from Pakistan armed forces personnel regarding the basic principles of the ISI.

The February 28, 2012 edition of a prestigious British newspaper “The Telegraph” stated, “Colonel Syed Shahid Hamid was the first boss of the ISI. He was succeeded by Maj Gen Robert Cawthome, who was followed by Brigadier Hussain, whose rule began in 1959 and ended in 1966.”

The July 28, 2008 edition of “The Australian” maintained, “The ISI dates back to 1948 when it was established as the brainchild of an Australian-born British Army officer, Major General Cawthome, the then deputy chief of staff in the Pakistan Army.” After his retirement, Cawthome moved back to the United Kingdom and lived there till his death. The original ISI building was situated in Karachi on the junction of Abdullah Haroon Road (Old Victoria Street) and Hidayatullah Road, opposite Zainab Market.

To date, three ISI bosses -- General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, General Khawaja Ziauddin Butt and General Asim Muneer (incumbent Army Chief) — have gone on to head the country’s military. General Ziauddin Butt served as Army Chief for a few hours in October 1999 until General Pervez Musharraf dethroned Nawaz Sharif and held the reins of the country despite his termination by the ousted premier. Musharraf had dismissed General Zia from his appointment and commission.

Here is the list of all the 25 ISI chiefs who have served in this powerful position since 1948: Colonel (later Major General) Syed Shahid Hamid Shah (1948-50), Maj Gen Robert Cawthome (1950-59), Brigadier Riaz Hussain (1959-66), Maj Gen Mohammad Akbar Khan (1966-71), Maj Gen Ghulam Jillani Khan (1971–1977), Major General Muhammad Riaz (1977–1979), Lt Gen Akhtar Abdur Rehman (1979-1987), Lt Gen Hameed Gul (1987-89), Lt Gen Shamsur Rehman Kallu (May 1989– August 1990), Lt Gen Asad Durrani (August 1990– March 1992), Lt Gen Javed Nasir (March 1992– May 1993), Lt Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi (May 1993– 1995), Lt Gen Naseem Rana (October 1995–October 1998), Lt Gen Ziaud Din Butt (October 1998– October 1999), Lt Gen Mahmud Ahmed (October 1999– October 2001), Lt Gen Ehsanul Haq (October 2001– October 2004), Lt Gen Ashfaque Parvez Kayani (October 2004-October 2007), Lt Gen Nadeem Taj (October 2007-October 2008), Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha (October 2008–19 March 2012), Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam (March 2012–November 2014), Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar (November 2014-December 2016), Naveed Mukhtar (December 2016-October 2018), Lt General Asim Muneer (October 2018 to June 2019), General Fiaz Hameed (June 2019 to November 2021) and Lt General Nadeem Anjum (November 2021 to September 30, 2024).