On October 26, the Prime Minister’s Office issued the notification for the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The much-awaited decision dispelled the impression of differences between the civil and military leadership.

“The prime minister has seen and approved the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum as director-general Inter-Services Intelligence, with effect from November 20, 2021, from the panel of officers,” the notification stated.

In separate tweets, the PMO confirmed that the PM had also met the army chief. “Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI today. The meeting was part of the ongoing consultation process between the Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff about the timing of change of command in the ISI and selection of the new DG ISI. During this process a list of officers was received from Ministry of Defence. Prime Minister interviewed all the nominees. A final round of consultation was held between the Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff today.”

On October 6, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had announced several transfers and postings, including the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum as the new ISI director general. Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, was to be the Peshawar corps commander.

The ensuing delay in the issuance of the official notification gave rise to speculation of differences between the civilian and military leaderships.

Later, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief whip in the National Assembly and PM’s aide on political affairs Amir Dogar said that Prime Minister Khan had met the army chief to discuss the appointment.

“The PM wanted Lt Gen Hameed to stay as DG ISI in view of the situation in Afghanistan. PM Khan and Gen Bajwa enjoy a relationship based on mutual respect and dignity. Mr Khan was of the opinion that the government wanted to take all institutions on board. The body language of the prime minister was positive. He seemed confident,” he added. The chief whip said that the PM had told the cabinet that he was an elected prime minister and chief executive of the country.

Referring to the procedure to appoint the ISI DG, Dogar said that a summary had to be sent to the PM with three names out of which he selected the one he found best suited for the office.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also tried to dispel the impression of any differences with the military top brass. Referring to rumours, he said, “I see on social media, there are many who have wishes; I want to tell them that the Prime Minister’s Office will never undermine the respect for the Pakistan Army and army chief. And the COAS and the army will never take any step that will undermine the respect for Pakistan’s prime minister or the civil setup.”

Analysts say there can be no doubt that the PTI government has received an unprecedented level of cooperation from the military leadership. Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken the bold decision of giving a three-year extension to Gen Bajwa. Credit goes to the PM, following the instructions of Supreme Court of Pakistan, to take the parliamentary route for Gen Bajwa’s extension. If any prime minister wishes to extend the term of an army chief in future, he will have to similarly consult the parliament. Gen Kiani was given an extension by the PPP government without following such a procedure.

Khan and his ministers have been saying almost every other day that the civil-military leadership is on the same page on all issues. The military leadership has reciprocated the gestures, and whenever the government has faced economic, political and diplomatic crisis, the military leadership has firmly stood behind the government.

Analysts say there can be no doubt that the PTI’s government has received an unprecedented level of cooperation from the military leadership. Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken the bold decision of extending Gen Bajwa’s term. On the instruction of Supreme Court of Pakistan, he had taken the parliamentary route to secure Gen Bajwa’s extension. Should any prime minister wish to extend the army chief’s term in future, he will have to similarly consult the parliament.

When the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) launched its campaign against the government, the military leadership, the so called ‘mil-tablishment’ put its weight behind the government.

On the economic front, when the government was most vulnerable, Gen Bajwa himself started issuing statements about the economy and the issues Pakistan faced. This was another gesture that the civil-military leaders were on the same page.

When the government was struggling on the diplomatic front, Gen Bajwa visited various countries, including the KSA.

The ‘mil-tablishment’ even supported Chief Minister Usman Buzdar despite reservations about the provincial government’s performance. According to highly informed sources, the military leaders repeatedly told the PM that the provincial CM was unable to deliver up to the mark and should be replaced, but when the PM refused, his decision was respected by the civil-military leaders.

However, there appeared to be obvious cracks in civil-military leadership after Gen Bajwa proposed the transfer of the ISI chief, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed. PM Khan, it was learnt, wanted Gen Faiz Hameed to remain the ISI chief for longer as he was comfortable with him in the office. Close aides to Khan say he can handle the opposition better than any anybody else. There was a strong impression Gen Faiz Hameed will be considered for the office of army chief in November 2022 when General Bajwa’s term comes to an end.

During their first meeting on the issue, Gen Bajwa met PM Khan and advised him to replace Gen Faiz Hameed with Gen Nadeem Anjum and the PM agreed. The ISPR then announced the decision via a tweet. A notification was then expected by the PM Office but it was not issued immediately. This resulted in rumours of a serious rift between the ‘mil-tablishment’ and the government.

These rumours were strengthened by the PM’s statement referring to certain examples in early Islamic history involving appointment and replacement of military commanders.

The PM’ Office eventually issued the notification on October 26. The new ISI chief will assume his duties in the last week of November. Political analysts say PM Khan has now set another precedent.

Both sides will now try to iron out the impression of ‘differences’. For political and governance-related reasons, the prime minister cannot afford to drag such issues any farther. Both sides will have to go back to the ‘same page’.

The military leadership appears to have always prevailed in the long run following differences with the civil leadership. In 1977, PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was overthrown by Gen Zia. In 1985, PM Muhammad Khan Junejo was sent home. In 1988, PM Benazir Bhutto faced difficulties after appointing Gen Kallu as the ISI DG despite the COAS’s advice to the contrary.

In 1998, the appointment of Lt Gen Iftikhar Ali Khan as defence secretary led to a rift between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Gen Pervez Musharraf. It ended with the ouster of Sharif and takeover of the government by Gen Musharraf. In its 2008-2013 term, the PPP government had to extend the terms of both the COAS (Gen Kiani) and the ISI director general (Lt Gen Pasha).

The writer is a senior journalist, teacher of journalism, writer and researcher. He tweets at @BukhariMubasher